


Ghoul Island

by KittiDot



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Animal Shifter, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy Smut, Halloween, Siren, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Werewolf, Zombie, ghost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2020-11-08 14:00:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 67,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20836640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittiDot/pseuds/KittiDot
Summary: Sophia, our main character has been entered as a contestant on the reality TV show Ghoul Island by her friends.She’s looking for love - but the other contestants might have other tricks...and treats up their sleeves.Dedicated to my favourite spooky holiday I’ll be writing this slightly AU, and very tongue in cheek take on our favourite LITG S2 Islanders.Thank you for all the  comments - I wasn't sure if LITG fans would like this AU so your feedback means everything.





	1. Welcome to Hell

Welcome to Hell

Sophia stepped out of the long black car and looked up at the imposing view in front of her. Spending her summer in a remote mansion on an island off the northern coast of Scotland hadn’t been her first choice, but her friends had all been so frustrated with the disastrous line up of men that she had dated for the past couple of years that they’d submitted an application for her. 

“Looking for an extraordinary kind of love with an exceptional person” had been the tagline they’d used on her application, and that had followed her through the audition process, and into her introductory video. The crew filming the video had burst out laughing when she’d declared her hopes and dreams for finding true love with the man or woman of her dreams. She hadn’t understood why until this morning when one of the show producers had sat her down and told her that some of the contestants had some unusual...quirks.

Apparently she was to remember that she was completely safe at all times, and they were confident that she would come to no danger. Unfortunately that phrase had seemed slightly less comforting when they passed her a survival kit that included salt, a silver crucifix, holy water and a wooden stake, alongside a bottle of sun lotion, a pack of condoms and a book titled “An idiot’s guide to surviving a zombie attack”.

A large black crow stood on the top of the imposing building in front of her, cawing loudly. She was alarmed to see that it seemed to be looking directly at her, it’s beady black eye daring her to enter its domain, its beak open in a gesture of fury. Unfortunately, before she could leap back into the car and request it took her back to the ferry port and far away from here, the door slammed behind her and the driver turned the car at breakneck speed and drove back down the long gravel path. It screeched to a halt for one second to allow another car to pass, and then continued on its journey. 

The new car was travelling towards her, also long and black. She realised as she watched the car, that it looked alarming like a hearse. The car came to a stop, and Sophia held her breath in anticipation of who would be stepping out of the car. She needn’t have worried. The girl that stepped out looked perfectly...normal. She was beautiful, that was for sure, but there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about her. Sophia took a moment to admire her gorgeous braided hair, which flowed over her exposed shoulders. Her skin was so smooth it looked almost radiant, and the tight green dress she wore hugged every curve. 

She walked confidently over to Sophia and stretched out a hand. Her long nails were painted in shades of green, red, yellow and blue. Sophia took her hand, surprised at the formality, and shook it nervously. Shocked by how hot and tingly her hand felt as she pulled it away.

“I’m Hope” the girl said, her lips forming a smile which didn’t reach her eyes. Sophia opened her mouth to make small talk, but before she could say anything, Hope had spun on her red heels and started walking towards the mansion. 

“Shall we go and explore? I want to know where the boys are at. I’m very tired and need some of their energy. Hopefully one of them is up for doing some bits today”.

Sophia’s brain registered that it was a strange thing to say, but she batted it away, laughing at herself for being so paranoid. She was sure Hope was just as nervous as she was, and had meant to say something else. 

“You’re uh...drop dead gorgeous” Sophia stuttered, in a desperate attempt to build some kind of friendship with this girl.

Hope laughed. “You are so right”.

Hope confidentantly walked up to the large oak door with its wrought iron hinges and pushed it open, causing it to make a loud creaking noise which echoed eerily around the cavernous hallway. Sophia flinched as it slammed closed behind them. The sound was foreboding, like someone just shut out the rest of the world. The walls were covered in dark wood, old paintings of people long dead were staring down at her. 

“This will do” Hope exclaimed as she climbed the winding staircase up to the first floor. She turned to Sophia and gestured for her to follow, and she dared do nothing other than comply. They reached the first floor, and Hope instinctively walked towards a closed door and pushed it open to reveal a huge bedroom, both walls lined with four poster beds. Her eyes were automatically drawn to something in the far corner of the room.

Was that a giant….coffin? 

It couldn’t be.

But that was definitely what it looked like.

Sophia coughed nervously and then looked to Hope, waiting to see her reaction. Hope seemed unphased, and turned back to Sophia. 

“I’m going to be so disappointed if I’m not into any of these guys, Sophia. I’m looking for someone fresh, juicy, vibrant. You know? Lots of energy”.

Sophia shot a nervous look at a camera she could see blinking in the corner of the room.

“Uhhh...sure”. 

A wave of relief washed through her when she heard the sound of heels coming towards them on the stone floor. “Heeey guys”. Sophia turned to see a girl walking towards them, dressed in purple and black, her blonde hair highlighted with pink, and she was covered in tattoos, so beautiful that Sophia wanted to just stand and take them all in. 

“I’m Lottie” the girl announced, and Sophia automatically warmed to her. Lottie looked her up and down, exclaiming “I love your style, that outfit is incredible!”

Sophia started to smile, until Lottie continued.

“I hope you aren’t going to be competition if there’s a guy I like. I’d hate to hex you”

Lottie burst out laughing at the look of shock on Sophia’s face.

“Don’t worry girl! I’m messing with you. I only use magic for good, I promise!”

Sophia started to laugh nervously, but within the next second she jumped a full foot into the air when she realised someone had appeared next to her without making a sound. 

“Hi! I’m so glad I’m not the first one here”

The girl exclaimed. Sophia stood blinking at her for a moment, trying to work out what was wrong. It was almost as if she could...see through her. 

“I’m Hannah!” the girl exclaimed, before hugging each girl. A chill ran through every cell of Sophia’s body when the girl hugged her. If you could call it a hug, because she could feel nothing other than the deathly cold. 

“So why are you here, Sophia?” Lottie asked. “You’re a stunner. I can’t believe you have any trouble getting attention”.

Sophia took a deep breath, trying to make herself relax. 

“Oh, the men I tend to date are a who’s who of human crap” she explained. “They generally have the maturity of a tadpole and the personality to match. So my friends signed me up to this show, to get me to try a different type of guy I guess” she shrugged at the group of girls. 

“Ahh...the supernatural type”. Lottie laughed.

A realisation was starting to settle in Sophia’s head, but before it could manifest into a fully formed thought, another girl arrived, announced by the click of her heels, as a girl wearing a black leather skirt and plunging white shirt sashayed over to the group.

“Hello ladies” she eyed Hope pointedly at this last word “I’m Marisol”.

She leaned over and air kissed Sophia, who inhaled an intoxicating scent and suddenly found herself fighting a desperate urge to kiss Marisol. This was...different. Sophia tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Hi” she croaked “I’m..uh...I’m Sophia”

“Pleased to meet you, darling. You smell absolutely divine”.

“Likewise” Sophia bit her lip. What the hell was she doing?

Before the tension in the room could build further, the sound of a blood curdling scream echoed around the room. Hope picked up her phone and exclaimed 

“Guys! I got a text” She read it aloud.

“Ghouls, its time to meet the boys! There’s five sexy beings waiting to meet you at the entrance to the Forest of Doom. You’ll take it in turns to make an entrance and pick the supernatural boy that takes your fancy”.

Ok, yep. There it was. 

Everything suddenly made a lot more sense. Sophia knew that supernatural creatures were no longer a thing of fantasy novels. It had been proven years ago that they existed. She’d even downloaded “Sinder” the supernatural dating app a few months ago, but had quickly deleted it when her first match was a 500 year old vampire called Gracchus. But the idea of living with a group of supers, on a remote island, for a month? 

She thought back to the string of men. Human men. Who had hurt her, used her, cheated on her, lied to her.

How much worse could it be?

And with that she held her head high and walked with the other girls out to the Forest of Doom.

It wasn’t just a clever name. It was nighttime when they walked outside, and the path to the forest was lit with blazing torches of fire. The forest itself was a mass of huge trees, which all seemed to be moving, creaking...talking?

But there wasn’t time to evaluate just how alive the trees were, as one of the crew members ran up to her. “Sophia, you get to pick first, ok. Now go out there and get your, uh, man?”

Nerves were coursing through her, but she held her head high and walked up to the opening to the forest. She was going to own this moment, and she was more than a little interested to see who was waiting for her. Five gorgeous beings were stood, each holding their own fire torch, the flames casting a beautiful golden glow over their faces. She slowly walked up to the boys, and then scanned down the line, one by one. 

The first boy spoke.

“Alright? My name’s Gary. Nice to meet you”. Sophia admired the man stood in front of her. He had short blonde hair and attractive rough stubble. She did like a man who didn’t wax every hair on his body into oblivion, and Gary definitely fit that description. He wore black rimmed glasses which gave him a peaceful air, and a plaid red shirt which suggested he was relaxed about his appearance. She was interested in finding out more about him, and in grazing her nails lightly across his stubble...

Until she saw the next boy. And her heart actually stopped. 

“Hi, I’m Noah” was all he said, and he seemed to be trying to step away from her, his face contorted in a look of...disgust? Sophia managed to start breathing again and responded.

“Hi”

But it came out as barely a squeak. Every part of her body wanted every part of him in that moment. He was tall, with dark skin and hazel eyes which sparkled in the fire light. His dark hair screamed to have fingers running through it, his lips to be kissed. She was drawn to him in a way she couldn’t explain. But that look of disgust remained on his face. For a second she thought he winked at her. But she soon realised it was actually just a wince. 

What had she done to…

But the next guy stepped forward before she could over-analyse Noah’s reaction.

“Hi, beautiful. I’m Rocco. I’m looking forward to making a magical connection with you”.

He was handsome on the surface. He was shirtless, even in the chill of the night air, and had a necklace of feathers strung around his neck, with a tiny...bird skull hanging from it? His wavy brown hair also had feathers woven into it, and Sophia had a moment of trying to work out what kind of supernatural being he was...a werechicken perhaps?

Before she could muse further the fourth guy spoke. He was tall, dark and very handsome, wearing a white shirt and a red tie. 

“Ibrahim” he said slowly. “You’re a grand slam. Beautiful. But also...brains”

She thought she could see him lick his lips, although it was hard to tell in the dark. He was definitely starting at her in a disconcerting way.

Then the last boy spoke and her heart fluttered. It was a different feeling than the one she’d had when she saw Noah, his voice didn’t make her heart stop, but it did make it sing. He was radiant, and his smile was easy to see, even in the torch light.

“Hey gorgeous. Saving the best to last, were you? I’m Bobby.”

She couldn’t help but smile at him. He was shorter than the other guys, but his body was perfectly toned. His dark skin contrasted with the blue shirt he wore, and his eyes were sparkling as he looked at her. She thought she could see a faint blush on his cheeks, although she wasn’t completely sure. 

It was time for the guys to step forward if they were interested, and Sophia found herself instantly conflicted about whether she wanted the tall handsome boy with the scrunched up nose to step forward.

He didn’t.

But every other guy did. She ignored the heaviness in her heart at that moment, and turned to ask the boys the big question. Why had they stepped forward?

She turned to the blonde haired guy in the plaid shirt with the killer stubble first. 

He grinned at her and looked thoughtful for a moment.

“I’m looking for a girl that will be accepted by my pack, and enjoy long nights howling at the moon with me. Something tells me you’d be into that”.

So...he was a werewolf. Interesting. 

Rocco spoke next.

“Because I believe we could make beautiful magic together, and we owe it to ourselves to explore this deep connection the universe has presented us with”

He reached out his hand and Sophia wasn’t sure if she was supposed to hold it. Instead she shifted her eyes uncomfortably to the next boy.

Ibrahim spoke next. “I...I thought I should take a shot...at your brains”

Gary leaned forward and whispered to him, loud enough for Sophia to hear

“Bruv, you need to change the subject. You’re gonna freak her out with all the brains talk”.

Sophia stood blinking at him. Brains? A...zombie? Oh no, no, no. 

She gratefully moved her eyes to the last boy, Bobby, as he spoke.

“There’s so many things I can be in life. A bird one day, a dog the next. I can be a llama if I really put my mind to it. But right now I think there’s only one thing I really want to be, and that’s part of a couple with you”

Sophia smiled, despite herself. She was fairly sure that was a well rehearsed line, but at the same time his delivery was adorable. And he was a ...shifter? That was intriguing, she couldn’t deny.

It was decision time, and her green eyes slowly made their way along the line of ...boys. The beautiful but silent man was still pulling a face that suggested that he had a smell of rotten fish up his nose. Magic boy was grinning at her with a confident smile on his face. Gary had puffed up his chest, not realising he was impressive enough without doing that. Rahim was shuffling uncomfortably and staring at her forehead. She was sure in that moment that she wouldn’t be spending a single minute alone with that boy. Bobby was bouncing nervously on his heels.

The decision wasn’t easy. She knew the name she wanted to say confidently and clearly…

Noah…

But coupling with a guy so obviously repulsed by her seemed like a terrible decision. She looked up at the sky for a minute and saw the waning moon. She was intrigued, she knew she was.

“Gary” she said confidently. He smiled and winked at her “Welcome to our exclusive pack, babe”. She thought she heard a low whine come from Bobby’s direction and it pulled at her heartstrings. She’d make time to get to know him, but for now she wanted to spend some time with Gary and discover the wolf within.

As she stood by him she was hit by his smell. It was deep, woody. She imagined him running through the woods behind them. Imagined running her nails down his back.

She blushed. Where had that come from? 

She tried to concentrate on the other couples as they paired up but her mind kept wandering back to the man stood next to her. Before she could focus, four couples stood around her.

Lottie and Rocco  
Marisol and Rahim  
Hope and Noah  
Hannah and Bobby

Sophia found her eyes drawn to Noah and was shocked to see he was staring intently at her. What was his deal? Who or what was he? She knew she needed some time with him to find out more. Then she became aware of another pair of eyes watching her. 

Bobby. 

He was smiling shyly at her, and her heart fluttered again. There was something so vulnerable about him. She felt a need to run over to him and hug him but knew that now wasn’t the time. 

Instead she looked at Gary. He took her hand gently and she realised just how warm he was on the cool night. He could be her very own thermal blanket. 

“Shall we go and talk?” He asked her. “Get to know each other better?”

She didn’t answer and instead led him away from the forest and over to a huge pond with an iron swing seat covered in red scatter cushions placed carefully by it. They both sat on the seat as it gently swayed. She realised she was still holding his hand, but had no desire to let it go.

“C’mon then, ask me anything” he teased.

She looked at him through her long eyelashes, suddenly feeling shy about asking the question that was on the tip of her tongue.

“So you’re a ...werewolf?”

He smiled at her. “Yeah. One hundred per cent wolf, baby. Is that a problem?”

“No! I’ve never met a...well, someone like you before. How long have you been a…”

“Since the day I was born. My mum was bitten when she was pregnant with me. My dad never got over what we were” he sighed and shook his head “anyway...how long have you been human for? It’s going to take some adjusting being with someone as weird as you”

She grinned and playfully hit him with a cushion. The movement pushed them closer together, thighs touching. He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck slightly with his nose, his stubble grazing her skin. 

His voice was husky when he spoke again. “We’d better go and find the others before this moves too fast. You’ve got a lot to get your head around in here, girl”

The butterflies in her stomach were telling her to ignore him, to move in for a kiss, but her head knew he was right. They stood up and walked towards the others. 

Hope and Noah were sat off to one side, deep in conversation, Hope slowly stroking his thigh. The others were watching a display of fire and lights that seemed to be originating from the hands of Lottie and Rocco. Well, Bobby was nowhere to be seen, but a little baby owl with hazel eyes was perched on Ibrahim’s shoulders, and from the way it was watching Sophia she had no doubt who his little feathered friend was.

She smiled to herself and shook her head.

It was going to be a long-dark-summer.


	2. Trick or Treat

Sophia walked up to the group, still acutely aware of the heat radiating from the man at her side. They weren’t holding hands but he was...close. His arm brushed hers as they moved, and with every touch she imagined his arms around her, holding her. 

The owl on Rahim’s shoulder had flown away with a tiny hoot as Sophia had approached the group, and within seconds Bobby reappeared from inside the mansion. The group clustered together and spent a moment checking out the couples that stood around them, each knowing that they were potentially surrounded by both their competition...but also their future.

Lottie broke the tension as she joked

“Wow. Ten hotties alone in a beautiful Mansion. It’s like the start of a horror movie”. 

“We can but hope Babe” drawled Hope, inspecting her nails and showing no real interest in the group. 

A nervous giggle escaped out of Sophia’s mouth and she tried to cover it by speaking.

“We should, uh, get to know each other”. She realised she still had no idea what some of the beings around her were, and she needed to know what she was...playing with. 

Gary responded enthusiastically. “Yes gorgeous! It’s time to kick back in the moonlight and drink some of these cocktails”

Sophia’s eyes scanned the selection of drinks, and saw she had two options. A bright red cocktail, decorated with paper umbrellas. She picked one up and saw that the umbrellas had a pattern of tiny clowns and red balloons on them. She shuddered. 

She hated clowns.

So the black cocktail it was. They were decorated with a tiny black cat hanging from the side of the glass by its tail. Now...cats she liked. She took a nervous sip and was pleasantly surprised. A mix of coffee and vodka hit her mouth, and she was relieved to feel a buzz course through her body as it reached her blood stream. The only other islanders who seemed interested in drinking were Lottie, Rocco, Bobby and Gary. 

She shrugged and knocked back the cocktail in one gulp, her empty hand reaching for the next one, before the empty glass was placed back on the table. A little voice in her head was advising her that getting wasted while surrounded by...strangers...might be a bad idea. However, the voice was shouted down by her much louder panicked voice that told her that alcohol was the solution to surviving this night with her sanity in tact.

The girls had clustered together and Sophia walked over to them, emboldened by the buzz she was now feeling. 

“What we talking about, ghouls?”

She sniggered at her own pun.

Marisol cast her eyes down Sophia’s body and back up to her face. She placed a hand on her hip, and Sophia noticed for the first time just how long her fingers were. Claw like, some people might say, but with sexy red fingernails at the end. 

She responded, “We’re just talking about how we’re feeling in here, who we want to do what with, that kind of thing”. She smiled and stared deep into Sophia’s eyes. Sophia found herself wondering just what it was that Marisol wanted to do to her. She was both intrigued and terrified. 

Hannah was sighing and running a hand over her forehead. And floating about twenty centimetres above the ground, her toes elegantly pointed downwards.

Sophia weighed up her possible reactions, and decided that screaming would probably kill the party mood. Instead she decided to ignore the fact that her suspicions Hannah was a ghost had just been confirmed. “What’s up Hannah?” she asked.

Hannah sighed again. “Oh I don’t know. So many boys, but I don’t think any of them are right for me”.

“There’s still time babe, there will be more new boys” Lottie reassured her. 

“Oh I just don’t know how many new boys I can deal with. There have been so many over the years. They come. They go. And yet here I am, stuck. Alone. My darling Theodore lost to me forever”.

“Theo…?” Sophia started to ask, but she was interrupted by the sound of a blood curdling scream. She looked at her phone. No text for her. 

“It’s me!” she heard Gary cry out. “Guys, I got a text”

Islanders, it’s time to find out who’s hot under the collar, and who’s playing it cool. Head over to the hell pit to play a game of Trick or Treat.

The Islanders walked over to the hell pit, the excitement of their first challenge running between them. The hell pit was a cavernous black hole in the middle of the lawn. A fiery orange glow escaped from its core, but Sophia knew she would never try and look down it, fearing that she would be looking directly into the bowels of hell.

A pile of cards were sat on a round silver table to one side, with ‘time for a treat’ scrawled on the back in orange writing. A smaller pile of cards sat beside them with ‘or perhaps a trick’ on the back. Beside the cards was a small ornate chest. 

Gary looked at Sophia and raised an eyebrow. “I wonder what kind of treats are in store”

Another blood curdling scream announced a text. It was Hope’s phone and she read it aloud. 

Islanders - it’s time for you to treat each other. Failure to do so will result in a trick. Each take a silk blindfold out of the chest. Everyone apart from Hope must sit down and put the blindfold over your eyes. Hope draw the first treat card. Once you’ve performed your treat choose the next victim and put your own blindfold on. 

The islanders all walked over to the chest, and Hope opened it. She pulled out a pile of dark red silk blindfolds and them to each person, clearly taking control of the task. Sophia went and sat down on one of the benches that circled the hell pit, and was pleased when Gary walked straight over to her with no hesitation and sat down, so close their thighs were touching. Without even thinking about what her hand was doing, she found herself resting it lightly on his thigh. He took the blindfold out of her hand and leaned forward.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

He leaned forward to reach behind her and tie the ends of the blindfold behind her head. Her world was plunged into darkness but her other senses came alive as she was hit with that woody scent. Her hand gripped his thigh tighter, moving higher up his leg and he chuckled, leaning over to growl in her ear “Soon” before pulling away. 

Sophia could hear the sound of everyone around her tying and adjusting their blindfolds. There were a few nervous laughs and giggles as everyone wondered what was about to happen. 

“Ok, you’ve all got your blindfolds on so I’m going to pick the first card” Hope spoke clearly and confidently. She read the card

“Give the Islanders you find the most attractive a massage”. She then paused for a moment before continuing cooly “Well, in the absence of a human boy to get my hands on, the choice is easy”.

Sophia could hear the click of her heels as she walked past her and continued on. 

“Hmm...now what part of you should I massage” she heard Hope say, her voice low and sultry. There was the sound of hands running over fabric and then a low moan. Noah. Sophia was sure of it. Sophia imagined what it would be like work her hands across his broad shoulders, his chest, and found herself squirming in her seat slightly. Gary clearly interpreted the movement as linked to thoughts of him, and he found her hand and squeezed it. 

Then Hope spoke again. “Now my treat is complete I nominate...Sophia to go next”

Sophia’s heart leapt into her chest and she reached around and undid her blindfold, looking around her to see all other islanders sat and obediently blindfolded, apart from Hope who was still tying hers.

She waited until Hope was finished and then walked to the table to pick a card. 

She read it silently first, before then reading it aloud

“Let the three islanders you fancy most know it, each in a more devilish way”

A little flutter of excitement worked through her chest and down into her stomach as she looked at the islanders sat in front of her, waiting to see who she approached. She knew straight away who the three would be, the question was who she should go to first, and what she should do to them.

She took a deep breath and made her way over to Bobby. He blushed as he felt her leg touching his knee, but didn’t speak. She looked down at him for a moment, still slightly unsure of what she wanted to do to him. His hand was resting on his knee and he tapped his fingers slightly, in anticipation of what was about to happen. She noticed how gorgeous his hands were, his fingers were long and elegant, and she knew what she wanted to do. Still fuelled by the buzz and false confidence the cocktails had given her, she reached down and took his hand in hers. She lightly traced her finger in a circle on his palm before sitting on his lap. Hannah let out a little sound of disapproval, clearly aware that Bobby had been chosen but Sophia found that in that moment she didn’t really care. It was a game, after all. 

She raised his hand to her mouth, and slowly licked her tongue up his forefinger, before taking the tip of his finger in her mouth and lightly biting it. Bobby let out a little ‘oh’ sound and moved slightly in his seat as Sophia climbed off his lap and stood back to plan her next move. 

Noah. It had to be him. She walked over to him, her confidence wavering slightly as she closed the gap between them. She could see him tensing and sitting straighter in his seat as she approached, apparently aware that he was next on her hit list. Without really knowing what her next move was she straddled his lap and sat down on him. He leaned back slightly at first, his face frozen in a serious expression, but then she leaned forward and whispered in his ear ‘hi’ and he leaned back towards her. Their cheeks touched and she was surprised at how cool his skin felt, but it was also so smooth. So soft. His jaw was tense and so she placed four gentle kisses along the chiseled outline, and she could almost feel his muscles relaxing under her touch. Her mouth paused on the last kiss, not wanting to break contact, wanting to see how relaxed he could become if she showered his body with tiny kisses. But this wasn’t the time, and Hope was emitting little tuts of disapproval to her right. She pressed her hand to his chest for a moment before climbing off his lap. 

The last choice was easy, and she walked confidently towards Gary, who smiled as she approached. 

“You took your time” he said as she stood in front of him. She looked down at him for a moment, admiring how his muscles moved underneath his t-shirt and wondering if it was a step too far to tear it off him. She slowly ran a nail along his jawline, enjoying the scratch of his stubble along her finger tip. She sat sideways on his lap and nuzzled his neck slightly before kissing is slowly, trailing her tongue up to his ear. He made a low growling noise and placed a hand of her thigh. 

“Soon” she whispered in his ear, before sliding off his lap onto the seat beside him. Her body felt electric. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so confident and in control. She wasn’t sure if it was the blindfolds, the darkness or the heady atmosphere crackling between her and these guys who were so different to anyone she’d ever met before. 

She looked at the people sat in front of her and knew who she wanted to choose next.

“I choose...Bobby”

Bobby took his blindfold off straight away and caught her eye before her world was plunged into darkness again.

She heard him move over to the table.

“Without using your hands or mouth, show the person you fancy the most just how much you like them”

Bobby laughed “Well this is perfect for me”

Everything went silent for a moment and the next thing Sophia heard was a rumbling purr. She jumped in her seat as she felt soft fur brushing against her bare legs before weaving between her ankles. The purring continued as the cat rubbed against her legs again and settled on her feet for a minute. 

After a little miaow, the contact with the cat stopped and she heard Bobby’s voice again. 

“I choose … Marisol”

The game continued, with everyone performing their treats and avoiding tricks. Lottie had just done something that made Gary gasp, and a surprising pang of jealousy hit Sophia’s stomach. No-one else had chosen her to receive the treats, but then Lottie chose Gary, and her heart leapt in anticipation as he read out the card.

‘Kiss the islander you fancy the most’

She heard him approaching, he stopped for a minute but then kept on walking. Lottie. He was going to choose Lot... Before her brain could finish the sentence he was back in front of her again, chuckling to himself. How did he move so fast? He took her hands and encouraged her to stand.

“Only messing with you babe” he said before taking her head in both of his hands and guiding her towards him.

“Is this ok?” He asked.

She couldn’t speak in that moment. The heat from his body and the smell of him was too much. And so she nodded slightly. His lips found hers and were soft at first, gentle. He tasted...amazing. The kiss became more urgent as his tongue began to explore her mouth and he moved one hand to the small of her back, bringing her body close to his. She suddenly wanted to stand like this forever, close to him, feeling him, tasting him. She moaned into his mouth and could feel him smiling as he pulled away slightly, slowly tracing the outline of her lips with his tongue. She gasped as she realised she was no longer touching the floor. The one arm gripping her had lifted her into the air. The strength within him was almost overwhelming. He lowered her back down and held her hands while she sat again.

Gary’s voice was happy and confident when he spoke. “Ok Noah, my boy, time for you to step up”

She heard Noah cough nervously as he walked over to the table. He started to read his card.

“Kiss any part of each girl’s body”

He paused.

“No, I don’t think I’ll do that, I choose a trick”.

Sophia frowned at his response. He could have just kissed their hands. What was his problem? 

He read his next card “Tell the group the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever said to someone”

He paused for a moment before continuing. “Honestly, there have been so many. I did once ask John Lennon if he had his library card with him when he came in to my library with Yoko Ono for a photo shoot. He just sort of...looked at me and then kept on walking”.

Sophia’s mind tried to do the math. She knew Lennon died in the late 70s….early 80s maybe. So that made Noah so much older than the twenty something he appeared to be. What….was he?

The game concluded and the islanders removed their blindfolds. Furtive glances were sent between them all as their minds processed the events, the touches, the confessions of attraction they had just experienced. Slowly they started to stand up. Gary started to wander back to the bar, but before Sophia could follow him she felt a gentle arm on her shoulder. Bobby. 

“Sophia. I wondered if maybe we could go and have a chat on the night beds”.

“Sure” she responded and followed him over to the beds.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and nervously tucked a dreadlock behind his ear. Sophia sat down and looked at him, waiting to find out what he wanted to talk about. He really was beautiful. His eyes shimmered between hazel and green and his smooth skin was decorated with freckles. She was fairly sure she could look at that face until the end of time. But she was struggling to understand who he really was, outside of his shifting. 

“Sophia, I think there is some chemistry between us, and well, you know... we both just chose each other for the challenge. I was just wondering if you think I could be your type”.

Sophia smiled at him. “Bobby...if you’d asked me what my type was yesterday I probably would have just said ‘human’. I don’t really have a type. I do like men who are kind, and funny, and cute. I think you’re all of those things...so...yeah?”

He beamed at her, but his smile fell slightly as she spoke again.

“But...I feel like I haven’t really had a chance to get to know you yet. Who you are beyond the animals you can shift into”.

He looked to one side, his lips pursed, before answering.

“I get that a lot. I use the shifting to protect myself from getting hurt, I think. For you, I’ll work on it. I really want to get to know you. Maybe…”

But his next sentence was interrupted by another blood curdling scream. 

“Text! Guys, I got a text!” Marisol shouted, and everyone gathered around her.

Islanders, later tonight there will be a welcome party. Please get ready to say hi to a very special guest.

The group all looked at each other, wondering who...and what...would be walking into the mansion next.

Sophia may not have had any supernatural powers but she could definitely smell trouble on the horizon. Gary circled the group to stand next to her, taking her hand in his reassuringly. Sophia was acutely award that Bobby was stood to the other side of her, and as she looked across the group, she saw Noah watching her, before lowering his eyes to the ground. 

She wasn’t sure that things could get any more complicated than they were right now.

Above her head the crow started cawing again, as if it was reminding her that they really, really could.

And the crow was absolutely right.


	3. A Siren Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for another spooky installment of Ghoul Island, in which we learn how Hannah ended up so...dead, what ghoulish chat-up lines our islanders have up their sleeves, and just what happens when a beautiful new islander is thrown into the mix.

The islanders had all taken a moment to absorb the news that a new islander was on the way, and to muse on the drama that the news would inevitably cause when there was a gender imbalance in the group. Hannah has seemed particularly nervous, and Sophia and Lottie had gone to sit with her by the hell pit. Sophia had gone to put her arm around her, but the deathly cold that hit her skin when she tried had caused her to recoil and instead she was clasping a cocktail with both hands, periodically sipping it and hoping that the alcohol might warm her, and more importantly, help her forget the feeling that she had just plunged her arm into a block of ice.

Hannah was wringing her hands in dismay.

“It’s just not fair. It’s never fair. I’m always here, always alone. Why can’t I find someone who loves me? What if Theodore is the only one for me?”

Lottie was clearly a braver soul than Sophia and she took Hannah’s hands into her own, with barely a shudder.

“Hannah babe, you’ve mentioned a few times that you’re always here. What do you mean? We haven’t even been here for a day yet”.

Hannah sighed and looked at both of them, her eyes pictures of abject misery.

“I haven’t told you the truth. I didn’t come here to be part of the show. I live here, in that mansion, or more like its a prison now. I let them use my home for the show without causing them too much...trouble…if they let me be a part of it. To find love. I get so lonely here all alone. It’s been so many years since Theodore left, and I just don’t know what I’m doing here anymore”.

“Who was Theodore?” Sophia asked, both fascinated and chilled by the idea of Hannah spending her time here alone, negotiating her way into the TV Show in an attempt to feel close to someone. 

“He was my fiancé. We were blissfully happy ...until the terrible accident. He wasn’t to know they were poisonous I’m sure.”

Lottie’s eyes narrowed. “Wasn’t to know what was poisonous?”

“That the foxglove petals he had put into the engagement cake were poisonous. He knew they were my favourite you see, and he asked his cook to chop some up and put them in the cake. He was so sweet, so thoughtful”

Sophia’s jaw dropped in shock “He...poisoned you? Uh...killed you?”

“It was an accident” Hannah sniffed. 

Sophia’s mouth spoke before she could stop it, wanting to confirm what a part of her had known from the first second they’d met.

“So you’re a...ghost?”

Hannah turned to look at her. “Yes. Well, I prefer Lost Spirit as a term, please”. 

“What did Theodore do...after?” Lottie asked, her eyes still narrow, with undisguised suspicion.

“Oh, he was distraught, of course. He was so lost without me that he got engaged and married to another girl within a month. Moved her into this house, in fact. But they didn’t stay here for long. I think the memory of me was too much for him. His ‘wife’” Hannah almost spat that last word “found the things I did for him too spooky. The times I would knock something off a shelf, just to let him know I was there. Projecting myself into a mirror just so he could see me again. And so they moved out and left me”.

Lottie’s face was furious. “Hannah! Babe! He totally tried to ki…”

But she stopped as Sophia frantically started shaking her head, her eyes wide in an attempt to beam into Lottie’s head the message that now was not the time to break the news that Hannah’s darling Theodore had clearly murdered her.

Lottie understood the message, her features softening. “I’m here for you Hannah, I’ll make sure you find peace”

Hannah sniffed in despair. “Well I don’t know who with. There’s no spark with Bobby. The only other guy I’m interested in is Gary, but I know that you both like him”

Sophia had been inspecting her drink, and her head shot up when she heard that. She looked at Lottie who was blushing bright red. She knew she wasn’t in the mood for any drama, and so excused herself.

“I’m going to go and find the boys...I’ll uh, see you both later”.

She could hear Lottie angrily whispering at Hannah as she walked away. Of course Gary was popular, she thought to herself, but they were still on day one, and she wasn’t about to turn into a green eyed monster. Although she’d definitely fit in better if she did.

As she approached the group of boys, Hope and Marisol, she caught that the conversation was about their dating game. Gary was explaining that he liked to take girls to the shipyard at night, but finished the story with the fact that he loved climbing the cranes and howling at the moon. 

It was easy to ignore the fact that he was an actual werewolf, not just a boy with some stubble and a raw sexual energy. She wondered what it looked like when he changed. She shook her head. It was more than her brain could process right now.

“Sophia!” Bobby exclaimed happily when she reached the group. “We were just about to share our best pick up lines”

Hope smiled that same cold smile at Sophia before running her hand slowly over Noah’s cheek, and hooking one long fingernail under his chin.

“Come back to mine and I’ll make you...scream” she said in a voice so smooth and seductive that Sophia would have done anything she’d asked in that moment. 

Noah shifted in his feet slightly before responding with his own line. Putting his hands behind his back, he then brought them forward again. “One hand contains a treat and one a trick. Your choice” Hope tapped his right hand and he leaned forward to kiss her right cheek. “Well what was in that hand?” She asked, tapping his left hand. He leaned forward and kissed her left cheek, before responding 

“You don't have to worry; I'm all treats, no tricks."

“Melt” Hope responded, although looked secretly pleased. 

Sophia felt a slight kick of jealousy in her chest. He was clearly besotted with Hope already. But she didn’t have time to dwell, because she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Bobby smiling at her, preparing to unleash his line.

“Are you the Fiona to my Shrek? Cause I could kiss you ogre and ogre”

She laughed in spite of herself, before responding with a film reference of her own.

"I'm not a clown, but you're definitely It."

Bobby laughed. “Glad you’ve realised so quickly”. 

Gary growled under his breath, before closing the gap between them in one smooth motion, wrapping his hand around her waist. “If you think I'm hot now, wait until you see what I turn into at midnight” he whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling her ear, the rough tone in his voice tickling parts of her that had never been so affected by a voice.

She was still recovering when she heard Marisol speak to Rahim, one hand on his chest. “Will you zom-be mine”?

Rahim’s face lit up with a smile as he nodded and then responded with “Did it hurt when you fell from the vending machine? Cause your brains look like a snack. No..wait..not brains...uhhh” his eyes flashed with frustration. 

Marisol smiled and patted his shoulder. “It’s a good job my brains aren’t your type babe”

Before anyone else could practice their pick up technique a blood curdling scream announced a text had arrived.

Islanders, please make your way to the hell pit and get ready to welcome the new islander. #doesthesirencallforthee

Siren? This can’t be good, Sophia thought to herself, but plastered a smile on her face before making her way to the hell pit. 

As she walked she felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t need to turn to know it was Gary. She could feel his warmth radiating into her shoulder.

“Sophia, can we talk for two seconds before we get to the hell pit?”

She turned to look at him, and was surprised to see he looked almost shy. All traces of the cocky werewolf were gone, and he looked down at the ground as he spoke.

“So, uh, I guess things could be about to change, and before they do I just wanted to check..uhhh...where your head is at, with us”.

She smiled at him, surprised he was even asking this question so early in their island adventure.

“I’d really love to see what this thing between us could be” she responded.

He looked pleased. “Oh really? Great! I mean yeah, me too! Although it’s only day 1 so we’re still going to want to get to know other people, right? Just to be sure?”

Despite the little pang of jealousy that she was sure caused her eyes to flash green she thought about Bobby and Noah, and how drawn to them she was.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s just...see what happens”

He draped an arm around her shoulders, his confident demeanour back, and they walked to the hell pit. As they walked Sophia found herself wondering how much of Gary’s over confident wolf-lad persona was for show. But before she could finish analysing that they arrived. Everyone sat down, silence falling as they all waited in anticipation. A click of heels announced the arrival of the new islander, and Sophia’s eyes followed the direction of the sound, adjusting to the darkness around her. Apparently Gary’s wolf vision allowed him to see clearly in the dark, as he let out a low whistle followed by a slight growl. 

“Mate, I know!” Noah responded and Sophia registered that he also clearly had good night vision. Her thoughts were cut dead when the new islander stepped into the light, and she realised she was looking at the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen. She had large, dark almond shaped eyes and her beautiful features were framed by dark red hair which seemed to reflect the light from the hell pit. Her skin was perfect and as Sophia’s eyes trailed down her body, she realised there wasn’t an inch of that body she didn’t want to touch. She was wearing a plunging silver dress, with a fish scale pattern, which didn’t leave a single curve of her body to the imagination, and Sophia knew she was in trouble. In more ways than one. She could sense the boys around her were all entranced, and a quick glance at their faces confirmed that. They were all staring, open mouthed and completely mute, their eyes almost glassy. She couldn’t blame them. She was fairly sure she looked the same. 

The new girl stood at the pit, a hand on her hip and she spoke.

“Hi everyone, I’m Priya. I’m so excited to meet you all!”

Her voice was friendly, and there was a slight nervous quiver to it which made Sophia instinctively like her.

But her voice had apparently had a different impact on the boys, who all simultaneously stood and began walking towards her, entranced.

“Oh, hello boys” she smiled at them all. 

“Ugh, look at them all” Lottie snarled. 

“I think we should go and introduce ourselves to her. She needs to know there’s only one player in this game with the power to manipulate men like that” Hope said, her cool confident mask slipping for a second.

“I’ll come with you” Sophia responded.

“Me too” Marisol stood up and joined them. Sophia looked at Hannah and Lottie, who both had screwed up faces of jealous misery and shrugged before walking over to Priya with the other girls. They had to use their shoulders to penetrate the wall of men that surrounded her. Priya smiled warmly when she saw them trying to fight their way through. Looking around the boys she issued an order in a singsong voice “Boys, stay here and let me talk to the girls”, and with that she walked around the hell pit to an area with enough space for the girls to be able to talk without the boys hearing. Surprisingly the boys all seemed to stay put, although the confused looks on their faces suggested they had no idea why they weren’t moving.

“Thank you so much for coming to talk to me girls, honestly, I was so worried you’d all hate me”. She hugged them all in turn, stopping to take a step back and regard Hope closely. “Oh? What do we have here? Another femme fatale? I wouldn’t have thought the boys here are your...type?” 

“I have my reasons for being here, thank you” Hope sniffed haughtily.

Priya looked back at the boys. “Girls, I need to be upfront with you. I have a certain...power...over men”.

Sophia let out an involuntary snort, and her mouth spoke before she had time to engage her brain. “No shit! Have you seen you? I imagine you have every man eating out of your hand”

Priya laughed. “Oh, you’re too sweet! But no. My power comes from my heritage. I was born a Siren. My mother is one too” she shrugged “My voice commands men. If I just talk then it’s normally manageable, they’ll be attracted to me, under my power if I want them to be, but not actually in love with me. But I can’t sing around men...it can lead to a lot of...messiness”.

Sophia stood and blinked at her a few times. She’d been doing a lot of blinking over the last 24 hours. 

“A...a siren? Aren’t they like...mermaids? In the ocean? Luring sailors and fishermen with their singing? You..have...uhhh”

“Legs?” Priya laughed again. “Yeah, I have legs. And yes, that’s where Siren’s started, but we can take human form, and many of us chose to do that. Look down the list of music on your Spotify and I bet there are a few sirens in your favourite playlist”. 

She sighed, the laughter stopped and her face looked down in sadness.

“I’m just here to find love. It’s so hard because every man seems besotted with me, but I don’t know if it’s real. In all honesty, I don’t think it’s ever been real. I’d really like to change that, but I’m not here to make every man fall in love with me. Although I suppose I might have to take someone’s man soon…”

“Or you can just go home single” Lottie interjected, walking towards the group while Hannah floated alongside her, an annoyed sneer still on her face.

“Oh no, that would be the worst” Priya responded, before hugging Lottie. “It’s so nice to meet you!” 

Her spell over the boys had clearly started to diminish, and they started to wander over, all looking dazed and confused. 

“I’ve got a question for you” Marisol interjected, a slight smile playing on her lips in clear amusement at the drama she was about to create. “Which boys have you already got your eye on, Siren Girl?”

“Well I like the tall, dark, quiet types, so Rahim’s a bit of me” she bit her lip before continuing “and I love confident and funny men so Gary has caught my eye”. She darted her eyes in Sophia’s direction and mouthed ‘Sorry’.

Sophia shrugged. She wasn’t about to cause drama, and there was literally no point in fighting Priya for a man. She could never win. Instead she focused her attention on Gary and was surprised to see that he was looking intently in her direction, and not at Priya. 

Marisol looked at the sky and then spoke, “It’ll be daytime soon which means it's time for bed. For some of us at least” She looked pointedly at Noah. There were a few mutters from the group and everyone slowly started walking back to the mansion. Sophia had a sudden realisation that she might not be seeing much daylight for the next few weeks, and decided to sit on a night bed to watch the sunrise. 

She walked over to the bed alone, and laid down, waiting for the morning lights to fill the sky with their orange and pink hues. Closing her eyes for a second, she allowed her mind to absorb everything she had seen and heard. She counted in her mind the supernatural beings she was now sharing her life with, at least for the next few weeks. She imagined she was Dorothy, skipping her way along the yellow brick road. 

Lions, and tigers and bears. Oh my!

Except she was dealing with zombies and werewolves and sirens.

Oh my.

Her mind started to wander back to the faces of the boys who had instantly captured her interest, and as if by magic one of them suddenly appeared, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently stroking her head.

“You must be exhausted. Want me to carry you to bed?”

Gary. 

She smiled at him. “Oh, I think I’ve got some energy left in me yet”.

“Oh? Tough girl, huh? Glad to hear it” he paused “Sophia, I want you to know that you’re still the girl I’m most interested in. I don’t really do emotions and stuff. It doesn’t really suit the pack life. But yeah…”

He trailed off, cleary uncomfortable with the conversation he was trying to have. Sophia smiled, knowing what she wanted most in that moment, and sat up slightly, pushing herself up on her elbows. 

“How about you show me instead of talking about it” she cocked her head slightly to one side, playfully, and Gary didn’t need to be asked twice. He leaned forward and their mouths found each other quickly. Sophia’s arms wound around his neck as she lowered herself back down onto the bed, her hands resting on the back of his head, scratching lightly at his scalp as their kiss deepened. Gary’s tongue found hers, and he confident moved inside her mouth. His kisses were deep, but his movements were smooth, slow almost, and they sent shockwaves throughout her body. He held himself up slightly on his arms, and began running his tongue slowly down her neck and across her collarbone. He was over her, around her, and she had a sensation of wanting to succumb, to be his, to follow his lead. But something in her head told her that she shouldn’t let it play out this way. She held his head in her hands and guided him up to look in his eyes. “On your back, please, puppy dog”

He smiled, and was that...a blush? He happily obliged without question, lying down beside her, and she climbed on top of him, her legs straddling his waist. She ran her hands up his body. It felt...so solid, so hard, and she couldn’t resist running her hands under his t-shirt and feeling his stomach and then up to his chest. The heat radiating off him was enough to keep them warm throughout any sleep in the night bed, she was sure. She leaned over and kissed his lips, pulling away slightly to run her tongue delicately along the outside of his lips, down to his jawline and then up to his ear. “Good boy” she whispered. He made a low growling noise in his throat before muttering “I don’t normally let people make dog references around me, but I’m going to make an exception for you”. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, and then her neck. She was testing their boundaries, she knew that. She was very aware that he was drawing her in, making her want him, and she was determined to maintain some control. She moved her hips slightly, pushing against his waist before raising herself up again. She kissed his neck, gently at first, but then alternating between kisses and bites. His hand trailed up and down her spine, his fingers lightly pressing her skin, sending tingles up and down her body. He was electric, there was no denying it, and she bit down into his shoulder, through the fabric of his t-shirt, trying to resist the urge to take his hand and place it between her legs, to beg him to stroke her there, to feel the warmth of his skin at the point of her that wanted him the most. 

She returned to kissing his mouth instead, enjoying the feel of his stubble as their mouths moved together. Worries about stubble rash were about as far away in her head as worries about the fact he could turn into a wolf at any minute. Their tongues were moving together again, and she placed her weight back down on him, feeling a different kind of hardness underneath her when she did. She stopped kissing him for a second to look at him and raised an amused eyebrow. “Oh?”. His response was to put his hands on her back and lean up again until their mouths were locked, kissing resumed.

Just as her mind was weighing up how disastrous it would be to get to...intimate...on the first day, a blood-curdling scream travelled throughout the mansion and its grounds.

“Guys, I’ve got a text!”. Gary stopped at the sound of her voice, as it melodically travelled over to them. Sophia sighed and climbed off him, the moment clearly stolen from them, and he squeezed her hand before cheekily smiling. “There will be a next time, babe”. 

They walked back to the mansion and everyone gathered in the pitch-black dining room, its windows all covered, and the only light coming from two candles which were dangerously close to burning out, their flames flickering in the last gasp of light before death.

Priya continued “Priya, later today you will get to choose one of the boys to couple up with, leaving one of the girls single and vulnerable”.

Everyone looked at each other, and Sophia was concerned to see that Priya wouldn’t meet her eyes. Gary squeezed her hand reassuring and she started to move her head to look at him.

At that moment the candles gave up their fight and their flames diminished.

Darkness was all they left behind.


	4. Heads Will Roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A challenge reveals some horrifying truths, and even more terrifying, it's time for the resident Siren, Priya, to chose her man. But all isn't lost as Sophia makes a surprising new ally in the mansion.

Sophia was laying on a lounger by the pool, watching the sunset. She knew the creeping darkness would mean that the other islanders would be awake soon, and she enjoyed the peace before chaos descended. She wasn’t sure if her body would adjust to this new sleep cycle, and she had spent most of the day snoozing on a night bed, enjoying the feel of the sun shine on her skin. A few of the islanders had periodically woken up, wandered over to see her, and then slinked back into the darkness. One of her visitors had been Gary. 

He’d come to reassure her that he didn’t want Priya to choose him, that he still wanted to see where this thing between them would go. They’d kissed, Gary tangling his fingers in her hair while his lips met hers. The kiss had a tenderness that hadn’t been there the night before, and he’d curled up beside her on the daybed, wrapping her up in his arms. She’d fallen into the best sleep of the day using his chest as a pillow. His heart was beating so hard she’d been able to hear it, the rhythmic sound soothing her to sleep.

He’d been gone when she woke up. She sighed and stretched on the lounger, unable to shake the feeling that something big was about to happen. Before she could muse on this further the loungers either side of her were suddenly populated with the most magical couple in the mansion. She looked at Rocco first, and then back to Lottie. 

“Hey guys...how are things?” she asked, not really sure if she cared about the answer.

“Great, we just wanted to absorb the energy of the sunset, you know?” Rocco responded. “It helps recharge my magic”.

Sophia looked at Lottie who was rolling her eyes and shooting herself in the forehead with a finger shotgun. Sophia smiled. Trouble in magic paradise, maybe.

Lottie shifted in the lounger to face Sophia. “Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about. So we’ve been talking about the situation with Hannah, and I think there might be something I can do to help her”.

“That we can do, babe, I can help with this, you know” Rocco interjected.

Sophia looked between the witch and the shaman, not really sure if she was supposed to understand what they were talking about. “Help her?”

“Yes Sophia” Rocco responded, putting his hands behind his head as he watched the sunset. Sophia took a moment to wonder if he ever wore a shirt. She guessed not. He continued “All we need is some sage, a candle, vinegar and some healing light and we can help her find her way to the other side”.

Lottie sat up on the lounger and faced Sophia. “Don’t you think that would be kinder for her? It’s no good for her being trapped here, pining for a man who murdered her years ago….or...Gary. What do you think? Should we do this? I really trust your opinion”.

Sophia wasn’t sure what the other side was, or where for that matter, but she desperately wanted her peaceful sunset back and so she smiled and nodded. 

“I believe in you both. If you think it will help Hannah you should do it”.

Lottie smiled and jumped to her feet. She ran to Rocco’s lounger and put out her hand out to him. “Come on boy, lets get that magic stick of yours working”.

As Sophia closed her eyes and laid back, she hoped that magic stick wasn’t a euphemism for any part of Rocco’s anatomy. 

The sunbed to her right wasn’t empty for long, and she opened one eye and looked to see who had just bounced themselves down into it. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face when she realised who it was.

“Hey” Bobby said, gently smiling at her “Mind if I share this moment with you?”  
She returned the smile, admiring how his eyes seemed to be reflecting the colours of the twilight. “Please do” she responded, and felt a flutter in her stomach when Bobby reached out and held her hand as they silently watched the sun finally set.

The next thing Sophia was aware of was a blood curdling scream and the sound of Hannah declaring she’d received a text. Her eyes shot open. How long had she been sleeping? She felt warmth in her hand and realised that Bobby was still laying next to her and gently holding her hand. The flutter returned as she looked over at him and wondered who this boy really was. 

“I suppose we’d better go” he nodded his head towards the mansion, a reluctance in his voice as he spoke. Sophia nodded, and their hands slowly slid apart, the tips of their fingers hooking slightly when they touched as if they were trying to hang on for just a moment more.

Everyone had gathered at the hell pit under the safety of the night’s sky, and Gary moved over to make space for her next to him, her stomach flipped when she saw him, he was a sight she wasn’t sure she was ever going to get used to. She walked over, and took a seat. He put his arm around her and leaned in to whisper “lets see if this can top the last challenge”. There was that flip again. She fought the urge to turn her head and kiss him, and so instead he finished the whisper with a light kiss on her earlobe. 

Unfortunately, there was none of the passion and mystery of the last challenge as they discovered they were to play two truths and a lie. As the islanders took it in turns to speak, Sophia began to realise that the truths were far more difficult to believe than the lies. By the end of the game she had learned some facts about her fellow islanders that she thought she would have been happier not knowing. She knew that Marisol had killed over one hundred people, although she quantified that information with the fact that she hadn’t killed for over eighty years, which was supposed to be reassuring, apparently, and that her favourite blood type was AB Positive. Lottie had once accidentally summoned a demon called Salvoroth. Rocco claimed that he had cured a man of his blindness from the back of his mobile shaman van. Gary was pack leader and had a pack of eight other wolves who looked to him for instruction. Bobby had once shifted into being the Loch Ness Monster. Noah gave monthly talks at the V&A Museum of Childhood about the history of toys through the 20th and 21st Century. Rahim liked brains, although that hadn’t come as a shock. The number of men Hope had been in bed with was in triple figures, but the number of men she’d actually had sex with could be counted on the fingers of two hands. 

Sophia couldn’t work out what Hope...was. Human? Vampire? Her truths were strange though, and Sophia couldn’t shake the feeling that they were part of the bigger picture of the Hope enigma. The game had also uncovered an underlying tension between Noah and Hope that intrigued Sophia. They’d seemed so close, but when Noah suggested that Hope was too much of a lady to have ever shared a bed with so many men, Hope’s reaction had been one so furious that Sophia had been sure she’d seen the purest red flash through her eyes. Noah had looked sheepish, and apologised, but the tension was still there. A voice in Sophia’s mind mused on whether it meant that there would be an opening to get to know Noah, which she was itching to do, but he’d been protected by the cold wall of Hope so far, and no other girls had managed to break through.

The other thing that Sophia had learned through the game was that Gary had absolutely no idea who she was as a person, and that it had been Priya who had correctly guessed her lie. She didn’t take this to heart, they’d known each other for a day, but she did make a mental note to try and do more talking with him and perhaps a little less jumping his bones. 

Everyone started to get up and move away from the hell pit, wondering what the night would hold, when the now familiar blood curdling scream could be heard. This time it was coming from Sophia’s phone, and she looked at it in shock for a second, her ears still ringing, before announcing “Guys, I’ve got a text”.

Everyone bundled around her, nerves crackling, and she continued “Islanders, the time has come for Priya to choose which boy she wants to couple up with. All islanders musy now gather at the hell pit”. 

No islander had travelled more than a few steps from the pit, and so they all shuffled backwards and sat back down. Gary sat down next to her, and took her hand, linking his fingers through hers. It felt intimate and reassuring, and she smiled at him, suddenly realising how much she cared about not losing the chance to stay coupled with him. As she looked into his blue eyes, their faces so close they were almost touching, she felt like she was actually seeing him for the first time. There wasn’t a hint of arrogance or power in those eyes. Instead there was a hidden pain, moving under the sparkling blue, almost out of sight. Sophia knew that she wanted to understand more about this man and what made him who he was. She was nervously biting her lip, and he reached his thumb up, brushing it against her mouth. She lightly kissed it, lost in the moment, until the familiar sound of clicking heels broke through the bubble they had formed around them. As they watched Priya approach he whispered under his breath.

“If she picks me we can still end up together...we can pick each other the next chance we get”

Sophia smiled, but knew it didn’t reach her eyes. She had a feeling in her stomach that this was the point at which things were going to go wrong for them, and she wasn’t enjoying it for a second. Priya stood in front of them, every inch of her looking stunning. Sophia realised in horror that she was still wearing her short red nightdress and suddenly wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. Instead she decided to own the moment and sat up straighter, crossing her legs and knowing that Gary wouldn’t be able to resist looking. She felt a little buzz of happiness when she was proven right, as his eyes darted away from Priya and towards Sophia’s legs, a noise that sounded almost like a low whine escaping. 

Priya cleared her throat and spoke. Her voice didn’t have its usual melodious tone, and Sophia wondered if she was trying to make sure that the guy she picked was happy to be with her because of who she was and not her power over him.

“I never thought I’d be in this position, and uh, thank you to all of you for being welcoming. Especially the girls. It’s more than a Siren normally gets, and I really hope we build some friendships” she signed and continued “but, I came to find true love so even though someone might be upset I have to follow my heart”

Her eyes darted to look at Sophia and then looked at the ground, her forehead furrowed in a frown, and in that moment Sophia knew the name that those beautiful lips were going to say, and she squeezed the hand that was linked so reassuringly with hers.

Priya continued, raising her eyes but staring at a spot about thirty centimetres above Sophia’s head. “The boy I want to couple up with it...Gary”.

Sophia heard the air leave his body in a rush and he squeezed her hand. She didn’t feel angry. How could she? They’d only been coupled up for a day. But she did feel a sadness that something good might have just been lost. He stood up, forgetting that he was still holding Sophia’s hand tightly and so she slid her hand away. The stark contrast in the temperature on her palm without his heat radiating into it made her shiver.

Gary stood opposite her, clearly unsure what to do with his hands, and settling for putting them into his pockets. Priya caught her eye and mouthed ‘Sorry’ and Sophia just smiled and nodded. She liked Priya and now wasn’t the time for drama. In all honesty, she would have done the same if the situation was reversed. 

Lottie walked over to her and sat down by her. “Ok girl, how about we go and make ourselves feel all kinds of gorgeous so we can really start our evening?”

Sophia nodded, smiling and doing an awkward half wave at Gary before walking back into the mansion and to the changing room. She looked through the dresses that had been provided for them for that evening, and chose a plunging dark green dress with long sleeves, and a v cut so high it left little to the imagination. Green always made her feel calm, recharged, at peace. The girls kept trying to engage her in conversation about what had just happened, but she just wasn’t in the mood. Bitching had never been her style anyway. 

The girls all finished getting ready and then walked as a group down the winding staircase and then outside. Sophia felt they needed some kind of kick ass song playing while they walked. Maybe the sight of flames burning brightly behind them. Give it time and that could happen, she thought to herself, fairly sure the mansion was going t be consumed by hell fire at some point.

As she stepped outside she was acutely aware that the eyes of every boy were watching the girls as they made their entrance. She realised she had no interest in working for their attention at this moment, and so she walked over to the pool and sat down on the ground, dangling her bare feet in the water. She always preferred bare feet. It made her feel grounded. 

She was aware that he was approaching before she even heard him from the tingle running down her spine.

“Hey”.

“Hey yourself” she responded, smiling up at him. “Missed me already, huh”.

He chuckled as he sat down next to her. “Well now ain’t that the truth”. 

Her whole body was pulling towards him, and it took all her willpower to resist kissing him, pulling him into the pool with her, undressing him. 

She looked into his eyes again, searching for whatever it was she’d seen in there earlier, but his shield was back up, and all she saw was a sparkle of mischief, and maybe a little lust. 

“Sophia, you know that I’m still interested in you, right? I mean...I know you need to do what's best for you to stay safe in here and I’m not going to stand in the way. I don’t want to see you go. Buy yeah, just know that I feel whatever this thing is between us”

She put her hand up to his chest, wanting to feel that rhythmic beat. He brought his hand up to cup her face, his body leaning towards her.

“Can I get you something? A drink? Snacks? A condom?”. Sophia turned to see Priya stood behind them. “Relax guys” she laughed “we’re all here to flirt, right? Fancy a swim Gary?”

And with that she unzipped her dress and gracefully dived into the water wearing only her turquoise lace underwear. “Now this feels like home” she smiled happily. 

“I’ll leave you guys to it” Sophia muttered, standing and straightening her dress before walking away, not daring to look at Gary’s face one more time.

She stood, wondering what direction to travel next, when an unexpected voice called her name. “Sophia!”

It was Ibrahim. She stood on the spot, frozen. They hadn’t spoken more than 10 words to each other in the last twenty four hours, and it felt like fifty per cent of them had been ‘brains’

“Rahim, uh, hi. How are things?”

He walked slowly over until he was stood in front of her, looking down at her. She hadn’t noticed before how beautiful his face was. The aura of death around him had meant that she had struggled to look at him for more than a few seconds at a time. His eyes were a blue so pale that they almost looked white, but the rims were bright red. He looked so...tired. There was no obvious decay of his body, his skin looked incredibly smooth in fact, but she knew absolutely that he was a zombie, and a voice in her head was screaming at her to run. 

But there was a sadness in his face, and she felt compelled to talk to him. “How is going with Marisol, Rahim? You two seem to be getting on well?”

“Uhhhh.” Rahim paused, seemingly searching for the words. “She’s nice. I don’t think she sees me like that. I’m not sure how I see brains”.

He brought his hand up to her forehead.

“Damn, I wasn’t supposed to say that. Ever since seeing you I haven’t been able to stop saying brains” Sophie took a step back and his eyes widened as he saw the fear in her eyes. “No Sophia! I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t eat human brains”.

Sophia fought the flight response that was being pumped through her veins and took a deep breath. 

“What do you..uh...eat?”

“Mostly sheep brains” he responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders. 

Her curiosity got the better of her. “Rahim, how did you uh…”

“Become a member of the exclusive undead club?” he completed her question for her.

She looked at him “Rahim! You just said a sentence that didn’t end with the word brains!”

He looked at her and a slow smile spread across his face. “I did! Maybe I can do this and find brains”. 

His smile dropped.

Sophia reached up and patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll get this. I’m happy to help you practice. Every day if that’s what it takes, so when the perfect girl walks in you’ll be ready for her”

He slowly blinked at her “Why...would you”

“Because I need a friend in here right now Rahim, and I’m thinking that might be you”.

“Zombie best friend?” he asked.

“Exactly! And sorry, yes, if you feel okay talking about it, how did this happen to you?” she asked, feeling a desire to hug him, but still with a sense that it might be a step too far too soon.

Rahim nodded. “Golf”.

She looked at him, the puzzlement clear, and so he continued. “I was on a golf tour and we went to Haiti. I was playing some of the best golf of my life, but there was a Haitian golfer who wasn’t pleased I was winning...and that I might have slept with his wife”

Sophia’s mouth fell open. “Ok, firstly, that was the most I’ve heard you say and I happen to love your voice, please talk more. Secondly, you didn’t mention brains, so well done again. Thirdly, what the hell do you mean you slept with his wife?”

Rahim sighed. “Well I didn’t know she was his wife. She was beautiful. Anyway, he found out and called some doctor and had him place a curse on me”. His face was a picture of misery as he finished his story “And within a day I fell into a coma, and woke up nine months later like this. Undead. Only craving brains. But still feeling like me inside. Still wanting the things alive me wanted”.

“Oh Rahim” Sophia could feel tears threatening to fill her eyes but knew that pity wasn’t what he needed. “We’re going to find you those things, I promise. I mean, look at you”.

He smiled “Thank you Sophia. It means a lot that we talked, I’ve hated seeing the fear on your face”. He shifted on his feet slightly as his stomach let out a loud rumble. “Uh, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go eat some brains”.

“Uh yeah Rahim, you’re excused”.

Sophia watched as he shambled away. Exhaustion suddenly enveloped her, and she made her way over to the night beds. She was aware of the couples around her laughing, flirting, being...together. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Priya and Gary were still playing in the pool and it hurt more than it should have.

Sleep. That would fix things.

She curled up into a small ball on the first bed she reached, relieved that it felt right to be closing her eyes to the dark, too tired to care about the noise around her, and fell into a deep sleep the second her head hit the pillow.   
She wasn’t even aware of the golden labrador who padded over to the bed and jumped up onto it, curling itself into a ball to one side of her feet and keeping one eye open.

Watching the darkness.


	5. A Ghoul Must Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the first official recoupling, and Sophia is currently single, which means its time to get grafting. But nothing with the supernatural boys is ever that easy.

A distant memory of being held close against a warm body lingered. Gentle words murmured into her ear. The ghost of the arms around her still leaving their trace on her skin. 

Sophia woke up, blinking into the darkness in confusion. It took her a moment to realise she was asleep in the bedroom for the first time, although she had no idea how she had arrived there. She felt beside her in the bed, wondering for a moment if it was just a bad dream that Priya had chosen Gary. But the bed was empty. The room was surprisingly quiet considering the number of people in the beds around her and she had a moment of wondering if she dared to get up in the darkness. A low muffled noise could be heard, it sounded like someone snoring...from inside a box? She put an arm out and reached for the table she remembered being at the side of the bed. She was relieved when her hand found the cool rectangle of her phone, and picked it up. 

She squinted into the bright screen and was shocked to see that it was mid afternoon. Just how long had she been asleep? 

Her nervousness at stepping out into the darkness, or waking up the other islanders was replaced by a desperate need for a shower, a change of clothes and some food. She realised she needed to work out her routine for being in here with such nocturnal creatures, or she was going to end up isolated and alone. With a deep breath, she quietly slid out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. 

In just thirty short minutes she felt like a different person entirely. She chose to wear one of her favourite green bikinis and took the time to apply her make-up, a ritual which always helped her feel calm. As she walked back through the mansion she was tempted to explore and see what was hidden behind all of the different doors, but she was afraid that finding out the answer might cause her to scream ever-so-slightly. 

Instead she had wandered outside, relieved to feel the sun on her skin the second she opened the door. She cast an eye over the grounds and was surprised to see Lottie and Rocco walking towards her. Lottie had a spade resting on one shoulder, and the image was entirely unsettling. In the distance, to the right of the Forest of Doom there was a trail of smoke weaving its way up to the sky.

She started to call out to them “What have you two been…” before realising she really didn’t want to know the answer. Instead she walked over to the kitchen and began rummaging for food. She was a good cook, and quickly began making herself a Spanish omelette. She’d been so focused on the preparation that she jumped when Rocco suddenly spoke. 

“Hey Sophia. We did it. “

He was smiling in a way that could be interpreted as smug. 

“Did...what Rocco?”

“Helped Hannah”

“Oh ok, great, good for you”

He shrugged, clearly disappointed that his news hadn’t received more of a reaction, and started to walk away. Sophia suddenly had a moment of realisation, her omelette forgotten as her head put the pieces together.

“Wait...you helped her, helped her? Like...over to the other side helped her?”

Rocco beamed, happy with the chance to humble brag about his achievement.

“Yeah! I remembered we needed to find Hannah’s bones and burn them, so we went to the cemetery and…”

The spade.

“Then Lottie performed a spell. It should have worked, Lottie has gone up the bedroom to check”

As if by magic, Lottie reappeared at the door and walked over, a look of disappointment on her face. “She’s still there babe, sleeping away”

“Wh...what. It should have worked! Let me see”

And the two of them hurried away, clearly annoyed that their plan hadn’t worked. 

Sophia hook her head and looked back to her omelette which had now fully bonded itself to the pan. She sighed as she scraped the remnants onto her place, and then sat on one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar. 

“Something smells good” she couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement at the sound of his voice. Gary pulled a stool closer to her and sat down.  
“Want a bite?”

He smiled and nodded, slowly pulling the piece of omelette off the fork with his teeth. 

“I’m not sure I was talking about the omelette, but thanks”

She swiped at him playfully. 

He looked at her, his head tilted to the side. “How are you doing Sophia? You were wiped out last night. I hope you don’t mind but I carried you up to bed this morning when the sun was starting to rise. I thought maybe you could do with a decent sleep”.

The ghost of the arms...the warmth...of course it was him.

“Oh” she blushed “thank you. I’m not sure what happened, I just felt so...exhausted. I’m feeling much better now. Like a real life human again”

He raised an eyebrow “Oh? Well that’s good to know” he leaned towards her slightly, their legs touching under the breakfast bar. “You definitely look stunning today. Green is your colour. I meant to say that last night”. 

Sophia had a feeling she was running towards trouble. In response she offered another forkful of omelette, which he happily accepted.

“This is a good omelette. I’d say I’d return the favour but I’m a proper terrible chef. My nan though, she can cook. She serves up a roast to me and my pack boys every single Sunday. All of us without fail. And my boy’s partners of course” He looked at her for a moment and noticed that shift in his eyes again, the shield lowering. “Maybe you’d like to come and try out one of her roasts sometime?”

She smiled at him, realising at that moment that eating at his Nan’s house with his pack would actually be kind of wonderful. Just as she started to lean forward towards him, knowing that she couldn’t bear to not touch him for a second longer, her phone let out the usual scream, and she knew that the moment was lost.

She called the obligatory “I’ve got a text” aware that it was still daylight and the majority of the islanders wouldn’t be appearing due to a combination of being fast asleep...and presumably, certain death if they found themselves in daylight. 

“Just read it babe, no one else is around, we’ll catch them up when they’re awake”. 

She started to read the text, and she realised that there was no one else she’d rather be reading it with.

“Islanders, tonight there will be a recoupling. The boys will choose. Whoever is still single by the end of the evening will be dumped from the villa immediately”.

She put her phone down on the counter and Gary placed his hand over hers. “This is good timing for us”.

She looked at him, wanting to jump in with both feet, to believe this moment. But her heart didn’t truly believe it, couldn’t. She didn’t want to have the conversation now, in this moment that felt so soft, hopeful. She smiled at him. “Let’s see what fate has in store for us”.

He looked at her, confusion on his face that he hadn’t received the response he was looking for. “Fate seems a bit…”

But then Bobby, Lottie and Rocco were running across the lawn towards them, Rahim and Hannah slowly following behind. “Did someone say text?” Bobby called, easily outrunning the others.

Sophia looked at Gary “We’ll talk later, I promise”. And then they were no longer alone.

…………

Full darkness had descended, and all of the islanders were doing their own thing in their own spaces. Sophia had gone inside to get changed, and walked back out into the grounds, her heels giving her a sense of power and confidence she wasn’t sure she was feeling at that moment. All of the girls had started panicking about the recoupling and the possibility of going home. Hannah had seemed the most nervous, but even Hope had a look of uncertainty in her eyes. The girls had decided that now was the time to talk to the boys and try to work out where their heads were at. Sophia wished she could trust that Gary would pick her and knew he hadn’t given her any reason not to trust him. So why did something still feel wrong?

She scanned the garden to see who was where. She was surprised when her eyes landed on the first of the trio. Noah. Her surprise was at the fact he was alone, sat on the ground and looking out towards the moonlit sea. She paused for a second, knowing it was going to be difficult to resist walking over there, but not sure what it was that she was hoping to achieve by doing so. There was no way he wasn’t picking Hope. 

And yet her legs seemed to be moving her in that direction, and before she knew it was stood behind him, coughing slightly to raise his awareness to her presence.

He looked up at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“No need to announce your arrival, I heard you the second you stepped out of the villa”. He was sitting on a blanket, and moved over slightly and patting it so that she could sit down next to him.

“My mum always did say that I have the heavy footsteps of a baby elephant” she joked as she sat down. He smiled, and looked at her, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement. 

“I mean...they’re cute, so I’d own that comparison if I was you. But no, I could hear your heartbeat. You have a very strong...pulse”.

Sophia looked at him and found that there were no words left in her head.

“Sophia, I need to tell you that I’m going to be picking Hope later. I didn’t want you to be in some kind of awkward position if that’s what you’re here to talk about”

She found her voice “It wasn’t what I was here for”. That might have been a lie.

He looked embarrassed for a moment. “Oh, sorry. Well now this is awkward. Your heart rate always quickens when we’re near each other, I thought maybe...and then there was the blindfold challenge”

“You knew that was me?”

His brow furrowed slightly “I always know when you’re near Sophia. Honestly, there’s something about you. Not just your sound, it’s your smell, your energy. I think it’s just...well...you. But that’s why it’s safer for me to stick with Hope, we’re similar...beings. Not the same, but cut from a similar dark and bloodied cloth”. 

Her voice was lost again and she was angry at herself, her subconscious internally screaming at her to speak, to say...anything.

He smiled again, the frown softening. “Anyway, I swore off human girls a long time ago. I’m assuming that’s what you are”.

“How...how long ago?”

“2008”

She burst out laughing, all tension gone. “I was expecting an answer along the lines of “1888”. 

He smiled. “Well that’s quite rude. Just how old do you think I am? Actually, I’m more interested in what you think I am”.

She took a deep breath. “Well, you can’t be in daylight.” He nodded and put one finger up in the air, clearly ready to count the facts. “You met John Lennon which means you’re older than you look” a second finger. “You can hear my...um… pulse” third finger “and sometimes you talk about history with the other islanders like you’ve actually experienced it”.

The fourth finger went up. “And your skin is cold. Really cold. But smooth”. His thumb stretched out and he sat peacefully looking at her, his calm face waiting for her assessment.

Sophia swallowed. “So you’re a vampire. You’re a vampire”

He smiled at her, his amber brown eyes looking at her intently. “I am”. 

Silence fell and they both looked out over the water. He allowed his hand to fall onto the rug, and it lightly brushed her thigh as it did. It was enough to send that same rush of wanting through her that she’d experienced with him before, and her breath left her body in a rush. She didn’t want to ruin this moment, but also didn’t want to lose herself to whatever this feeling was. Did she feel like this because he was a vampire? Because he had some kind of power over her? Or was it because she was looking into the face of the most beautiful man she’d ever seen? 

She found herself again “So Noah, tell me. What happened in 2008? Why the human embargo?”

He left out a sigh and led back, looking up at the stars. She wondered what it could be. What had been so terrible that he wouldn’t allow himself to grow attached to a human. Had he killed someone? She knew that vampires now fed off artificial blood...mostly...but what if he’d made a mistake.

The silence stretched on again and so she led down next to him. She rested one hand on her stomach and the other on the rug. As her hand lowered she felt the coolness of his skin under her palm. But he didn’t move his hand away and so neither did she. 

“Twilight”

She turned her head to look at him. “Pardon?”

“Twilight” he said again, turning his head so that their faces were so close they were almost touching. His eyes really were beautiful. Drops of honey floated in a deep brown. But now wasn’t a time for a study of his features. “Twilight is what happened”.

“The..the books?”

“Yes. Well it was the film that really did it. When it was just the book it was sort of manageable. But when the film became so popular, and then more people started reading the books it became unbearable”.  
A small laugh escaped, she couldn’t help it. He didn’t look annoyed, although looked even more crestfallen when she asked her next question.

“So..what...your girlfriends all wanted you to roleplay being Edward Cullen?”

He nodded very slightly. “Not just girls I dated. All girls. Every girl that came through the doors of the library. They’d sit around giggling, pointing at me, daring each other to come over and ask me if I’d carry them on my back like a spider monkey. They set up a reading group called ‘The Lambs who want the Lion”. It had 150 members in the end, the library couldn’t cope. One girlfriend even asked me if I’d paint myself with glitter body paint so I could ‘sparkle’. It was all just...horrifying…”

He stopped his story to look in bemusement at the girl next to him who was currently lying flat on her back and roaring with laughter at the sky.

“Twilight...you...horrifying ...glitter” she managed to wheeze, tears streaming down her face. 

His bemusement turned to amusement, and he propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her. “Well I’m glad my misery entertains you. And before you ask, yes I can play DeBussy on the piano, and no, I don’t have a lifelong feud with a bunch of wolves”.

She started laughing again, but then stopped as she looked up at the face that was above hers. He was smiling down at her, and then slowly reached up to brush a wayward strand of hair off her forehead. “You’re even more beautiful when you laugh” he almost whispered, before returning to the smile. She could see his teeth as he smiled, could see the point of his fangs and for a moment wondered what it would be like to be bitten by them. He seemed caught in the moment too, his eyes fixed on her eyes, but then looking at her mouth, trailing along to her neck. He started to lean forward but a voice interrupted them.

“Enjoying the moonlight, I see. Noah we need to talk. Now”. They both turned to look behind them and saw Hope stood, arms folded, face a picture of fury. “It seems I can’t turn my back on you for a second Noah, without you moving over to some human piece of fluff instead”.

Sophia opened her mouth to respond, to spew the bubbling rage that had formed into her chest. Who the hell was she calling ‘fluff’? 

But Noah jumped to his feet, squeezing Sophia’s hand gently before he did. 

“We were just talking about teen literature Hope. Come on, let's go and get some...food...and then talk”. 

Hope span on her heels and Noah followed after her. Sophia laid looking at the stars for a few moments longer, unable to fully understand what had just happened. He’d felt it too, that pull between them, she was sure of that now. But he had clearly tried to build a wall, which was now closely guarded by Hope, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to work her way around it. And then there was Gary. She looked around, looking to see where he was, wanting to speak to him, to feel him, warm, grounded. 

Her eyes found him but he was talking to Lottie, who had a hand on his forearm. Marisol and Hannah both stood a few feet away in opposite directions, both scowling at the gesture and the close conversation that was clearly taking place.

Her eyes continued scanning. Rocco was reading an old looking book, scratching his head. Rahim was talking to Priya. She was laughing at something he was saying and Sophia felt happy, her heart warmed at the thought that something could be blossoming.

And then her eyes landed on the boy she’d known she wanted to speak to. He caught her looking and waved at her.

She stood up and made her way over to the gazebo where the boy she was fairly sure had a heart of gold was stood. 

Bobby beamed at her as she walked over.

“Hey you” he said, leaning on one of the wooden poles that was holding the roof up. Ivy climbed the pole and wove its way around the inside and outside of the roof.”Interesting day so far?”

“Hey Bobster” she replied “Yeah, I’d say interesting”.

“Bobster? I like it”. He smiled and stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. “So how are you feeling about the recoupling?”

“Honestly?” Sophia ran her hand over her ponytail, a nervous move she had “I’m terrified. Terrified I’m going home later, and that I might be about to lose the most amazing thing that has happened to me in a long time”.

Bobby smiled reassuringly at her “Sophia, you have nothing to be terrified about. You are the most dangerous girl in this villa right now, for more reasons than one, and you need to own that”.

He put his hands up, making his fingers into the shape of claws and swiped at her, making a roaring sound as he did. It would have been cute, apart from the fact that for a second the image of a wildcat moved across his face, and the sound that came out was definitely that of a wild animal, not a human boy pretending to be one.

He was fascinating. So alive that he almost didn’t seem real, the energy coming from him almost visible to her eyes. 

She smiled at him. “I don’t feel so dangerous right now, but I’ll try to harness my inner wildcat, I promise. So uh, what do you think you’re going to do at the recoupling? She asked the question as nonchalantly as she could, but wasn’t sure if she’d managed to carry it off. 

His face looked serious as he chose his next words. “I...don’t know. I think I know what my heart wants. Hmm. No, I do know what my heart wants, but my head is telling me it’s a bad idea and people are going to get hurt. People I already think a lot of” he looked pointedly at her, and she knew without him saying the name, that it was Gary he was talking about, and her that he wanted to choose. 

“How did things get so complicated so quickly?” she asked him, running her hand over her ponytail again. 

“That’s love” he shrugged “It’s a beast with a mind of its own. Sophia, please do one thing for me. Be careful around Hope. I saw you and Noah earlier and I’m worried that you’re poking the beast that lies within her at the moment. You’re not her usual...choice...but, just...be careful”.

“Bobby...what is she?”

Then right on cue, her phone screamed. 

“Fuck” she almost shouted, tempted to throw her phone as hard and far as her strength would allow. Every single time.

“I’ve got a text” she shouted instead, all rage going into the bellow, that was so loud even Hannah, who had been inside the mansion heard it and floated over to the gazebo.

“Islanders, the recoupling will take place in ten minutes. Please gather at the Hell Pit”.

She caught Gary’s eye when she looked up from her phone, and he smiled and nodded his head slightly at her. Maybe this was going to be ok after all. 

The islanders started to disperse, slowly making their way to the hell pit. Rocco and Lottie were hanging back, whispering to each other. Sophia overhead Lottie hiss “Well it hasn’t worked though has it...she’s over there” and decided this definitely wasn’t something she needed to get involved in. Instead, she carried on walking to the pit and lined up with the other girls. She stood by Marisol who looked surprisingly calm. “How are you so cool about this Marisol? We could be going home” she asked.

Marisol smiled at her. “Honestly, I’ve been through way harder things than this. It’ll be ok. We’ll all survive. Just take deep breaths and focus on your core”.

Sophia smiled at her. “You’re surprisingly calming for someone who carries such an air of seductive menace”.

Marisol laughed, but before she could respond, Noah’s phone screamed.

He stood up, catching Sophia’s eyes for a second before focusing his attention on Hope.

“I came here wanting to find someone I could spend my life with, who would want me for me, and not because of what I am. I’m excited to have found that person so soon, and the girl...no woman...I want to couple up with is Hope”.

It was no shock, but it was still a kick in the stomach, and Sophia didn’t have the energy to force a smile on her face as she watched Hope slowly walk over to Noah.

Rocco picked next, and it was no surprise to anyone when he chose his partner in magic crime, and Lottie seemed genuinely happy when he said her name.

Bobby’s phone was the next to scream, and he stood up, his cheeks flushed with nerves. 

“So, uh, you probably all know by now that I often struggle to move past friendships with girls. I have to feel certain about someone before I open up to them. I have a friendship with this person, and I think we’ll have a good laugh together. The girl I want to couple up with is Priya”

Sophia looked at Rahim. His face didn’t show much emotion, but she thought she saw him frown slightly at the news that he couldn’t pick the girl he clearly had his eye on.

Sophia felt her own pang of jealousy when Priya kissed Bobby’s cheek and happily sat next to him, even though she knew she had no right to do so. Rahim was next, and she wondered who he was going to pick.

“So, this girl has shown me a lot of kindness” he started “and I think we’ll make a great team, even just as friends”.

There was a sinking feeling in Sophia’s stomach.

“So the girl I choose is” he looked at her “Sophia”.

Oh no.

She was shocked, but she forgot that the second she heard the deep and furious growl that came from Gary, and saw the flash of a white shirt as jumped up and moved around to be standing in front of Rahim.

“NO!” he shouted as Bobby and Noah leapt into action, attempting to calm him, Bobby acting as a human (shifter) shield in front of Rahim, and Noah attempting to pull him away.

Sophia ran forward, not wanting to be any cause of this, and touched his forearm lightly. Her touch had an instant effect and he turned to face her, his brow furrowed in sadness, not anger. 

“I thought this was going to be our time to really get to know each other”.

She smiled at him and put a hand to her cheek. “Soon. Remember. And not like this”

He nodded and sat back down. Sophia went and sat next to Rahim who looked distraught. “It’s ok babe, we’ll rock this zombie friendship, ok?”. He nodded. Gary stood, not needing a text to tell him it was his turn. He started to speak.

“Well the girl I wanted to pick isn’t available now so…”

But before he could continue there was a sudden gust of freezing wind, so strong it caused the girls to grab at their skirts. A scream that definitely wasn’t a text caused Sophia to spin around. It was Hannah.

“WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME” she screamed, as the wind started whipping around her. Her arms were up in the air and Sophia noticed they seemed to be disappearing, turning to dust. 

Lottie ran over to her. “It’s ok Babe. We did a spell to help you. You can go to the light, enjoy your next adventure. No more wasting time thinking about Theodore”

More of Hannah seemed to be turning to dust, her legs now gone. “BUT THIS ISN’T THE...” Hannah shouted over the noise of the wind, but then just like that, she was gone. The wind stopped, and all that remained was a pile of ashes.

Silence.

“Whu...what was she about to say” Lottie asked. “Rocco? Why didn’t she walk into some blissful light”

“Uh, not sure babe. I’ll go do some reading”. Lottie shook her head and sat back down. 

Gary was still stood, staring at the pile of ashes with his mouth open. Marisol brushed some Hannah dust off her leather skirt and walked over to Gary. “Looks like you’ve got me then, fuzzball, so let’s do this”.

Noah looked towards the horizon. “Uh, it’s time to get indoors. I think maybe we need to talk about what has happened here when we get there.

Sophia followed the group into the mansion, happy to follow Rahim’s slower speed due to the fact that her legs were shaking. Hannah was already dead, so they hadn’t actually killed her. But what had they done? And should she have done something to stop them?”

Everyone’s phones screamed simultaneously and the sound was deafening.

‘Islanders, due to an incident there will be no-one who has to pack their bags and leave the island. A full investigation will be taking place. For now, please enjoy a good day’s sleep’. 

Sophia dragged herself upstairs, got changed and then made her way to the bed on which she’d found herself placed so carefully just hours before. It suddenly seemed like a lifetime ago. No one was speaking. There were no sounds of any of the new couples getting to know each other. There was only silence.

Sophia climbed into bed with Rahim who had moved himself to the furthest edge of the bed. 

“Goodnight Zombie boy”

“Goodnight Sophia, sweet dreams”.

As she closed her eyes, she doubted that very much.


	6. Who you gonna call?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's slime challenge time guys and ghouls. 
> 
> After their ghost busting adventures in yesterday's challenge, it's time for our islanders to have fun at their first challenge outside of the mansion. But with tensions crackling between some of the girls it may now be all fun and games. 
> 
> Speaking of crackling tension...and electricity that has been building between Sophia and Gary, our favourite wolf boy, might be about to set things on fire in the kitchen.

Sophia was sat at a metal bistro table, a plate of half eaten food in front of her. Rahim had been watching her, not interested in the option to have a late night breakfast buffet himself. She assumed he had a different kind of buffet waiting for him, and had decided that he didn’t want to put her off her croissants and fruit salad by eating it in front of her. He was kind and thoughtful, and Sophia hoped that a girl would walk through the mansion doors at some point who would be able to appreciate that. She smiled warmly at him. He’d managed the whole breakfast with only saying the word ‘brains’ ten times. It was a personal victory, and she knew how hard he’d worked at it. Knew he was employing a lot of his energy to avoid scaring her. 

She felt guilty because her mind hadn’t been completely at the table during the meal. It had been spending time sat at Gary and Marisol’s table, wondering what they were talking about. Marisol was gorgeous and self-assured, and she found it difficult to believe Gary wouldn’t be attracted to her. Her mind had travelled from that table and settled briefly with Bobby and Priya who had been doing nothing other than laughing the entire time they were sat together. Sophia wondered if she would have been sat at that table, laughing with the boy who crackled with energy and life, if she hadn’t got so deep with Gary so quickly. Her mind hadn’t stopped by Noah and Hope’s table. It couldn’t. After their conversation yesterday, Sophia had a feeling that if she spent too much time thinking about Noah she might go a little bit mad. She wasn’t sure how he existed, and had a feeling that if she had known of his existence in 2008 she would have been one of the teenage girls sat in his library every day, staring at him and wondering if he was about to be her epic vampire love story.

The other place her mind had been during breakfast was a swirling confusion about what had happened at the recoupling, and what might have happened since. Noone had spoken about what happened with Hannah. Lottie looked devastated, but hadn’t been able to talk to Sophia when she’d tried to offer support earlier. Sophia had approached her before breakfast, and had noticed the panic that flashed through Lottie’s eyes when she saw her. Lottie had mumbled something about needing to sort her herbs, and had run off towards the woodland. Her reaction was strange. Sophia knew she’d be upset, but there was something else going on, something between them which she didn’t understand. 

She sighed and picked at the croissant remains on her plate. “I wonder what today will bring. What do you think Rahim?”

He thought for a moment. “Drama”.

She smiled, he was a man of few words at times, but that was actually a relief. The silences between them didn’t feel uncomfortable, instead they felt calming. 

“Ha! Yeah, I think you might be right there” She looked around and saw that everyone was starting to leave their tables “I think it’s time to finish breakfast”.

“Rahim nodded. I’m going to go and eat, I’ll catch you a bit later”

Sophia pushed her chair back and started to walk to the spot where the girls seemed to be gathering, clearly all comparing notes about their breakfast experiences. Marisol was talking when Sophia reached the group.

“...it just isn’t there. I’m starting to think I’m not going to find it with any of these boys. I wonder if I need someone more...human.”

The girls all turned to look at Sophia when she arrived, apart from Lottie who was staring at the ground. “We’re talking about whether we’re feeling the spark with our partners” Priya explained. “How are things going with Rahim”?

Sophia shrugged. “We’re a friend couple. There’s no spark there”

Priya looked surprised. “I know he’s a bit different, you know, with the whole zombie thing going on, but he’s gorgeous. And actually really kind. I think he could be a bit of me to be honest”

Sophia smiled “Then go for it babe, honestly, he deserves to be happy, so if there’s something there then follow it”.

Lottie spoke “And you don’t care because you’ll be back with Gary the first chance you get, right?”

Sophia looked at her sharply. There was an accusatory tone in Lottie’s voice which she didn’t understand. But there was no time to challenge her further, as Hope’s phone screamed, and after summoning the other islanders she read:

“Islanders, it’s time to bust some slime. Get your swimwear on and get ready to find out who’s squeaky clean and who likes to get down and dirty”

Sophia felt a rush of excitement at the idea of a challenge and it seemed like everyone felt the same, as a buzz quickly ran through the group. The islanders all ran inside to get changed and Sophia felt a hand resting on the small of her back as she paused to walk through the door. Gary whispered to her “Can we talk when we get back?”.

She looked at him, trying to read his face. “Yeah, sure”.

“Great” he said, smiling “but first lets go and enjoy this challenge”. 

Within minutes everyone was back outside, waiting for the jeeps they’d been told would be taking them to the challenge location, and sure enough, three black jeeps arrived, with the “Ghoul Island” logo emblazoned on their bonnets. The jeeps started driving towards the Forest of Doom, and for a moment Sophia had to battle a rising panic that this challenge was going to involve going inside its foreboding entrance. However, the cars swerved to the right and continued travelling until they reached a point at the far corner of the island, looking out over the opposite coastline to the one she had been admiring while talking to Noah last night.

A large raised platform had been built, with a banner in the style of a hazard warning symbol declaring it was the ‘Ghoul Island Challenge Zone”. Pitch lights flooded the area and there was a small black shed to the side of the platform. 

They all jumped out of the jeeps and made their way to the platform, excited to be somewhere new, and to find out what the challenge would be.

Priya was the first to find the instruction card on the platform and started reading.

“Islanders. You’ve proven your ghost busting skills in yesterday’s recoupling”

Priya stopped reading and they all looked at each other, clearly unsure whether to laugh or cry, the horror of whatever happened to Hannah yesterday suddenly unburied from the part of their minds they had locked it away in.

Priya took a deep breath and continued reading “so lets really put it to the test. Girls you need to gather your supplies from the shed and then slime your boys with ectoplasm. Each of you should collect as much red, yellow and green ectoplasm as possible, but you can only collect slime from the body of these ghostly boys, and they can’t help you by using their hands. The first girl to fill all three jars wins”.

Rahim looked worriedly at Sophia. “I can’t...do this. My skin, it’s too sensitive since, you know. I can’t risk it getting injured, it won’t heal. I’m so sorry”.

Sophia reached up and patted his shoulder “It’s fine babe, you go and stand watch, call anyone out if you see any cheating. I’ve got this”

Rahim looked relieved and moved to the side. Priya had seen what happened and ran over to her, taking her hand. “Come and join me, we can slime Bobby together”. Sophia smiled at her and they ran over to the shed. Inside was a large black plastic backpack for each of them to wear, with a hose attached. A large red switch had ‘on’ and ‘off’ written at either side. Priya giggled when she held up a white t-shirt with a familiar logo of a ghost in a red circle with a diagonal red line through it, beige combat trousers and black boots “I guess we really are official Ghostbusters now, huh. We’re joining your gang Lottie!”

She was clearly joking, but Lottie didn’t seem to be taking it that way, and quickly put on the outfit before shooting Priya a death stare and walking back outside.

Sophia quickly got dressed and picked up a pack, sliding her arms through the shoulder straps. The outfit somehow managed to feel incredibly sexy and yet really comfortable. The t-shirt was tight fitting and she was relieved she had her bikini underneath, she was not in the mood for a slime t-shirt competition. She looked around at the other girls and admired how kick ass they all looked. Even Hope was smiling, a glint in her eye as she spoke “Shall we go bust ourselves some spooky boys then, girls?”

They all ran back onto the stage, Lottie still stood to one side and scowling. Gary let out a whistle when he saw them all. “Boys, I think we may be in trouble”.

Priya and Sophia both stood in front of Bobby, hoses pointed in his direction, serious looks on their faces. He looked between then, a shocked look on his face. “I feel...scared...and turned on. I’m very confused right now”.

Rahim shouted out from the side “Ok girls...on the count of 3 get ready to turn on your slime packs and get busting in ...3...2...1. Go!”

The Ghostbusters theme started playing through loud speakers and Sophia turned the switch to on, and instantly red slime started shooting out over Bobby...the ground...her. All around girls were laughing and boys were shouting in shock as the cold slime hit them. Priya had a red slime pack too, and the girls went to town on Bobby, making sure he was covered enough for the both of them. When his torso was covered they each ran to collect their first jar. Well, to say they ran is an exaggeration, instead they slowly picked their way across the already very slimy stage. Sophia got back to Bobby first and looked at their creation. The slime had run down the length of his body, and he was now more slime than boy. He was grinning and Sophia, still feeling strangely empowered by the outfit she was wearing, realised that this was an opportunity for some body contact she might not get at any other time.

“Hmm...where to take the slime from?” she tapped her chin. She slipped the backpack off so she could get her balance right and then crouched down to run her hand slowly up his leg, scooping the slime into her palm as she did. She wasn’t in a rush. She didn’t particularly care if she won, and so her hand moved at a leisurely pace up his leg and then his inner thigh. Sophia could feel how strong his calf muscles were, and had a mental image of him running for hours through forests and across fields. He was lean, but solid and she could tell how strong he was, even without the bulk of Gary. She scraped the slime she’d gathered into the jar and it was already two thirds full. Bobby was blushing and looking at her, his mouth slightly ajar. She looked up at him and raised her eyebrow playfully. Rather than stand straight up she chose to roll her body up him, getting covered in slime herself and not caring. Priya had arrived with her jar, having clearly already fallen over several times from the colour of her t-shirt, and they both started sliding a hand up his bare torso at the same time. 

“Oh my…” was all Bobby could manage as he watched them gliding their hands over his chest. Sophia wiped her hand on the rim of the jar again. Just a tiny bit more was needed. Priya had moved to working on his other leg and so Sophia chose to wipe slowly up his neck, taking a moment to wipe away a piece of slime that had settled on his earlobe. She put the slime in the jar and it was full. She felt a little disappointed that she didn’t have an excuse to touch him anymore and so leaned over to kiss the spot on his ear where she’d removed the last piece of slime. “Thank you” she whispered. 

“Any slime” he responded, and she laughed at the pun despite herself.

She looked around to see what was happening with the other boys. Rocco and Noah were still half covered in green slime. Rocco had both Lottie and Marisol fighting over his slime, and Noah was stood by himself, Hope carrying her now full jar of green slime to the table.

Gary was the only boy with yellow slime. Marisol had clearly finished with him, and Priya and Hope were heading in his direction. Yellow slime was clearly going to be in high demand, but Noah looked so lost, just stood, slime dripping and swinging his arms slightly, and she knew he had to be her next stop. She retrieved another empty jar and walked carefully over to him. Unfortunately just as she reached him, her heel hit a piece of green slime on the ground and her legs went out from under her. Before she could reach the floor Noah’s arms were around her, holding her and stopping her body hitting the floor. He could move so...fast. His skin was still cool but his arms felt reassuring as they wrapped around her. For a moment they were motionless, Sophia’s back arched backwards still, and Noah learning forward, his body pressed to hers. He was looking deep into her eyes and it would be so easy to kiss him in that moment. But she rememberd Bobby’s warning and realised it would also probaly be suicide. Her mind weighed up the pros and cons for longer than it should have in light of the danger on her life, but self-preservation won the argument in her head.

“Uh, thanks Noah”.

He smiled and helped support her until she was stood up. “No problem, any time”.

She laughed “I feel like this is a very specific situation we’ll only experience once in our lives, you know? Ok, I have slime to collect”.

She looked down and realised that she now had a significant amount of his slime on her, which wasn’t going to help fill that jar. She looked around to see if she could see the green slime backpack, but then saw Hope was still wearing it. Noah could tell what she was thinking and shrugged and turned on the spot for her. His back was still covered in the green goop. Hope had clearly done a thorough job of covering him. 

And so Sophia got to work, running her hands up his beautifully defined back. He was broad and she enjoyed the feel of his taut muscles under her hands. She scooped some of the slime into the jar and then returned to his back, he was so tall that she could press her body into his back and still have a lot of exposed slime to work from. She reached up to his shoulders, gliding her hands across them, using her thumbs to apply some pressure. She felt his usually tense body start to relax. She imagined the two of them alone, working their hands across each others bodies, exploring. She ran her hands up into his hair, which also still held some slime, and used her nails to gently scratch the skin at his hairline. She thought she heard him emit a happy sigh, but couldn’t be sure. After a few more wipes of her hand, her jar of green slime was full. 

“Well that’s me finished” she said, but without being able to resist lightly dragging her nails down his back.

She thought she noticed his shoulders slump slightly when she declared she was done, but when he turned around and looked at her he had the beautiful calm smile back on his face. 

“Shame. That was uh...fun?” his expression changed slightly, a naughty smile playing on his lips. 

“Until next time” she smiled up at him, their bodies so close she was sure he could feel the tickle of her breath on his chest.

The look on his face intensified as he looked down at her. “Definitely”.

She looked to see where Gary was, knowing he was her next target. He had Lottie stroking a hand up his leg, her jar already full. Damn it.

She grabbed her last empty jar and made her way over to him. Casting an eye at Lottie’s jar. “Looks like you’re all finished here”.

Lottie looked annoyed but nodded “yeah, looks like I am.”

Sophia turned to look at him “Hey”

He smiled at her. “Hey''. He scanned down her body which was now more slime covered than him and laughed. “Looks like you’ve had fun”.

She bit her lip as she regarded his body, trying to work out where he still had the biggest stash of slime. “Oh, I think the fun has just begun”. His breath quickened, and she enjoyed seeing the impact her eyes were having on him. 

“Hmmm, you’re not very slimy anymore, lets see what we can find”. 

She ran her hand over his chest, using her thumbs to slightly press into his skin as they moved across his pecs, gathering the remnants of slime into her hands. She worked like that down his torso and could tell he was getting turned on by the movements. At one point his hands reached up and settled on her hips. 

“Tsk” she said playfully “you don’t need any of my slime”.

He grinned but dropped his hands back down. She’d worked her way down his entire torso and back, but still only had a third of a jar of slime. Her hands reached the waistband of his swim shorts and she looked into his eyes as she ran a finger along the inside of the seam, gathering up the slime that had worked its way underneath.

“Sophia” his voice was deep, a hint of a growl could be heard when he reached the ‘a’ at the end of her name. “I want you”.

She felt those words in her stomach, they worked their way southward and she imagined, not for the first time, how it would feel to have him between her legs, to be wrapped around him.

She didn’t respond, instead just maintaining eye contact with him. She emptied her hands of the small amount of slime she’d collected and than ran her hands into his hair. She could see there was no slime there, Marisol had apparently been careful not to get his head, but she didn’t care. She pressed her body against him and ran her nails lightly across his scalp, and down his neck. It was clearly all too much temptation and he leaned forward and kissed her.

“Uh, excuse me!” Marisol was glaring at them. “I don’t think this is a kissing challenge, and I’m certain he has no slime on his lips”. 

Sophia stood back, embarrassed to have been called out. But she needn’t have worried. At that moment Hope called out “Done! My jars are all full” but as she did so she cast her eyes around the platform and saw that Priya was busy shimmying up and down Noah’s body, running her hands over him as she moved “Priya! What the...you don’t even need green anymore! Get your salty sea body away from my man. NOW”.

All eyes turned to look at Priya and Noah, who were both stood looking sheepish.

“I uh, I got confused” Priya mumbled.

Bobby stood forward “Well, challenge is done! Well done Hope!”.

Silence fell and everyone started shuffling back toward the jeeps. The girls quickly removed their costumes, not speaking a word and then climbed into the cars. Sophia knew from the steely faces around her that drama was on the horizon. She was sharing a car with Rocco, Rahim and Lottie, and while the boys were awkwardly trying to keep a conversation going, Lottie had a face of thunder. Sophia wasn’t sure what her problem was. No one had spent more time than needed with Rocco. 

They arrived back at the mansion in no time and all climbed out. Marisol came over to Sophia while the others started to walk back to the mansion. Sophia could hear Lottie and Priya arguing, and was glad to see that Marisol seemed calm which hopefully meant that the same drama wasn’t on her horizon. 

“Sorry for calling you out like that Sophia. To be honest I don’t blame you, I know that you have a thing with Gary, and there’s nothing there between us. I’m just starting to feel a bit...jealous. It isn’t like me to not feel some kind of attraction.”

Sophia smiled, relief flooding through her. “Honestly, I’m so sure you’re going to find that spark. And I’m sorry, I can’t seem to control myself where Gary is concerned”.

Marisol laughed. “That’s not a bad position to be in you know. Uncontrollable lust with a sexy werewolf. It’s the stuff romance novels are made of, isn’t it? Come on, let’s go and get this slime washed off”.

As Sophia walked towards the mansion she noticed Gary stood in the outside kitchen, staring at something on the worktop and scratching his head. Her stomach felt the familiar flutter and she wondered what it was between them. She was drawn to him completely, and he seemed to have a similar pull to her, despite the interest he was clearly receiving from some of the other girls. But she felt like she still didn’t really know him. Perhaps now was the time to correct that. Her shower could wait.

She walked over to the kitchen and leaned against the worktop Gary stood at. He was staring down at the makings of what she assumed was a sandwich, except the bread was broken into several pieces. “Uh, what did that bread ever do to you?” She asked, laughing.

He looked up “Bobby made it look so easy! He just kind of swooshed the knife along the bread”.

He shrugged. “I’m not that hungry anyway. Well, that’s not exactly true”. 

All it took was one look in his eyes, a flash of wanting, and she knew that talking was going to have to wait. She needed to feel him around her again. She stepped towards him and wound her arms around his neck, her fingers lightly playing with the hair at the back of his head. She had no words, no witty repertoire, and so instead leaned up and kissed him. He responded instantly, he mouth moving with hers confidently, their tongues meeting. It had seemed like they’d been apart for months and every part of her body was sparking with the excitement of his touch again. She should have been cold, stood in a garden in a bikini at the dead of night, but his warmth radiated into her. 

His kiss quickened and she felt the graze of his stubble on her chin again. Her fingers held onto the back of his head tightly, somehow wanting him to be even closer than he was, wanting every part of him touching every part of her. He sensed her need and in one quick movement grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up onto the kitchen counter, without breaking their kiss for a second. Her hands ran down his back as her tongue moved with his. But then his lips were gone from hers and were travelling slowly down her neck. The kisses started lightly, but as he reached her shoulder there was more weight to them, and as he lightly bit her shoulder she felt the fireworks that had been building inside her explode, and she wrapped her legs around his waist tighter, pulling him against her. She arched backwards as his kisses moved along her collarbone and he ran his hand along the length of her torso and down to her thigh. She moaned when his hand rested on her inner thigh, and bucked her hips slightly, inviting him to explore higher.

He responded, his fingers pushing aside the now damp fabric of her bikini and discovering just how wet she was for him. She gasped at the feel of his warmth touching her where she wanted him most, and leaned forward to kiss him again. As one hand gently, rhythmically stroked her, the other went to her back, holding her. 

Sophia lost any sense of where she was. The only thing she knew was how urgent his kisses were, and how soft his fingers felt between her legs. She moaned into his mouth as he slowly moved a finger inside her, his thumb continuing the rhythmic strokes that were causing her hips to buck and grind against him. She pulled away from the kiss and bit his lip, pulling it slightly with her teeth. Now it was his turn to moan, and he moved his finger deeper inside her, hooking it around her center until he found the spot that made her cry out. “Fuck, yes!”

She leaned forward to whisper in his ear, sure of what she wanted in that moment “I want you...all of you...inside me”.

But instead of carrying her to a night bed, which she’d secretly hoped would be the response, he’d pulled away slightly and shook his head “Now isn’t the right time. Let’s make this about you, ok?”

And as he slipped another finger inside her and began rhythmically moving his hand inside and outside, his thumb moving in circles as she pressed against him, she lost all ability to argue and came undone around him. She leaned forward and kissed his neck, his shoulder, and as she felt the buildup of electric pressure between her legs reach its final point the kisses turned to a bite, as she buried her head in the crook of his neck, muffling her moans and a last cry of bliss as she bucked against him one last time, fireworks travelling throughout every nerve of her body.

She could feel him smiling as he kissed her forehead. “I’ve wanted to see you in that moment from the first second I saw you”

“That was a … moment I’m not sure I’ve ever really had before” she panted. She wasn’t lying. That was the most intense orgasm she’d ever felt. 

He chuckled “Slime and kitchen counters are clearly your thing”.

“I think it might be more that men with a tendency for full moons are my thing”.

The hand that had been resting on her back reached around and he put a finger under her chin. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear that”.

Sophia looked down at their bodies, his other hand now resting on her thigh again. 

“Hmm, I need a shower to wash this slime off before I’m stained red, green and yellow forevermore. Although I’m not sure my legs are going to work right now”

He grinned. “Ah, another advantage of spending time with a wolf boy. We don’t tire easily”. With that, he scooped her into his arms and carried her towards the mansion. 

Before they went inside he paused and looked down at her. “Sophia, do you think we could make this...us...work?”.

At that moment she wanted nothing more than to melt into those strong, warm arms every single day, forevermore. 

“I hope so”.

She rested her head back on his chest, listening to the heart that was beating so powerfully and wondered whether wanting something was enough.

“Me too” he responded.

He kissed her forehead gently and she felt her heart flutter. 

There was a chance she was already in too deep, but she didn’t care. Instead, she nuzzled into his neck and closed her eyes, drifting into a world of blissful happiness while he carried her up the stairs.

Really, she thought to herself, with something so sweet and warm as this new relationship what could go wrong?

Only everything.


	7. I Put a Spell on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the raw passion between Gary and Sophia, he's suddenly become distant, and she's fairly sure Lottie has something to do with it.
> 
> A kissing challenge and a moment with Bobby by the Hell Pit do nothing to calm the confusion whirring through her mind.
> 
> Still...she might as well make the most of it.

Sophia had woken up about 3pm, craving daylight and food again. Her sleep had been restless, full of thoughts of Gary, the feel of him, her need for him. Instead of lying in the darkness making a feeble attempt at arranging her thoughts she chose to get up and get ready. She’d showered and changed and made a salad, smiling to herself at the memories of what had happened in the kitchen a few hours ago, and there was still no sign of life from any of the islanders. They were apparently all sleeping off the drama of last night. She cleaned the kitchen, aware that other islanders might not find their antics on the worktop as amusing, and then looked around wondering what to do next. She looked at the Forest of Doom and was sure that the second her eyes were focused on it the trees started to move, to shift, to speak. She looked away, praying that the day would never come when she’d be required to step foot in there. 

After considering exploring inside the mansion, and then deciding that was a no-go due to the number of rooms which had ‘no entry’ signs taped on them, she decided to lie back on the night bed and soak up some rays of sunshine. Vitamin D deficiency was a real risk with her new routine. The restless sleep caught up on her within minutes, and she was absorbed into a dreamless sleep. She didn’t wake until she heard the sound of water splashing. She opened an eye to find that it was now dark outside, and wondered which of the islanders was awake, and how long she’d been passed out for.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes as she looked over to the pool. There were definitely two figures sat there, illuminated by the large floodlight above the pool, but they weren’t figures she recognised. One had a medium build and short dark hair. The other was the palest white she had ever seen, and had long blonde hair. 

New. Boys.

Two. New. Boys

She thought about rounding up the other girls before approaching, but decided it was on them that they were still asleep and missing out on being the welcoming committee. They snoozed and therefore they lose.

Sophia jumped down off the bed and padded over to them. They turned to look at her before she had reached them. More super hearing she assumed. They jumped to their feet and walked towards her. The dark haired boy was particularly beautiful and she suddenly found herself feeling a little shy.

Before she could introduce herself, the starkly white blonde boy suddenly announced “Ha! The girl walks so loudly I could have shot her in the dark”

Sophia vaguely remembered a line similar to that….was it in one of the Lord of the Rings films? At first her finely tuned geek senses started tingling, but then the boy tucked his hair behind his ear and she noticed it was long and pointed. Was he an...elf?

“O...k?” was all she could manage, deciding to turn her attention back to the dark haired boy.

“Hi Sophia, I’m Lucas, good to meet you”. He was well spoken, and his voice was smooth, his words falling and melting around her. He stepped forward to kiss both of her cheeks and then stood back smiling. They were close enough that she could see his fangs immediately, more pronounced than Noah’s, and they somehow seemed more deadly. Another vamp then. He was the third vampire to join the islanders and she nervously wondered what would happen if they all decided they were bored of the synthetic blood. She pushed the thought back under the rock labelled ‘things you shouldn’t think about too much or you’ll go mad’ which she had put in place when she first stepped foot onto the island.

“H..hi” damn it, why was she stuttering “I’m Sophia. Oh wait, you know that..uhhh”

He smiled that dazzling smile back down at her again and she had to block out an image in her mind of some of the things she’d like him to do to her. What was wrong with her, she wondered? Were crushes on three supernatural boys not enough?

“And I am Henrik of the Isle of Wight” the blonde boy said. It was only now that she noticed that in addition to his green shorts he was wearing a green cape, fastened with a leaf pin, and seemed to have a bow slung over one shoulder. Either he was an elf, or he got very lost on his way to a LARPing event, she thought to herself.

Sophia looked at him, unsure how to respond. She didn’t have to worry because the other islanders had been roused from their sleep and were charging over to them. Gary arrived first and somehow managed to position himself between the new boys and Sophia, as he welcomed the boys. Before she could side step around him Bobby was also there, blocking her way. Once Priya, Lottie and Rocco had also arrived she gave up and admitted defeat, stepping back and wondering how it was that Gary had managed to expand his already substantial torso to seem three times as wide.

“So boys, what’s your type?” Priya asked them, in her beautiful and seductive voice, and from the looks on their already besotted faces, the answer was ‘stunning Sirens with a face and a body to die for’.

Lucas laughed and dodged the question, although Sophia was surprised to see him dart his eyes in her direction for a second. Before the girls could protest, the boys had swept their new lad gang members away to the firepit for ‘banter’. The girls all looked at each other and shrugged. There would be time to get to know them better later.

Later came sooner than expected when it was announced that the new boys would be taking three girls of their choice on dates. Sophia had been surprised when Henrik had chosen her, the chemistry between them was non existent. She learned that he lived with other elves, and spent his days exploring woods and picking mushrooms to eat. She found him sweet, harmless, but there was no spark there, and she came to the quick conclusion that her kink was clearly pointy teeth and not ears.

The most interesting part of the date had been watching the pure chemistry unfolding between Lucas and Hope. They had both spent the date learning over the table, faces close, talking quietly and laughing. It was the happiest that she had seen Hope, and it made her wonder, not for the first time, why Noah and Hope were together. 

When she returned to the mansion grounds she had felt the eyes of Bobby and Gary watching her slowly walk up to the big house. She hadn’t seen Gary before she’d left for the date, hadn’t known where he was, but she had seen Bobby and had received a smile from him that seemed sad as she walked over to the jeep. It was Bobby who approached her now, smiling, a stark contrast to the werewolf stood in the kitchen and glowering down at something. Another destroyed piece of bread, maybe?

“Hey!” Bobby was almost skipping as he walked over to her, an overenthusiastic bounce in his step. 

“Hey Bobster, how’s your day going? My date with Henrik was, uh, interesting”.

“Great!” he said, over-enthusiastically. “Let's talk about that later. First - I need your help!”

“Sure?” Sophia raised a quizzical eyebrow as she wondered if he really couldn’t care less how her date had gone, or if this was some kind of attempt to downplay how he was feeling.

He took her hand, and she was taking straight back to the dusk they’d shared, his hand gently holding hers. The warmth that came from him wasn’t as fiery as Gary, but it was still comforting. Still so...alive. 

He led her indoors and up into the dressing room which looked like the usual level of chaos, but with some new cases thrown in for good measure, presumably waiting for the new boys to unpack them.

“Bobby, what are we..?”. She was suddenly very aware of how alone they were, and a tingle ran down her spine as she imagined pushing him against a wall and kissing him, feeling those hands working their way across her body.

What was wrong with her? Only yesterday she’d been so together with Gary. Together on a kitchen counter, millions of eyes watching through a camera lense. That was about as together as it got, surely?

However, Bobby clearly had other things on his mind. “So, I’ve decided to play a prank on one of the new boys. The elf.”

“Ok….?” 

“You remember that story of the shoemaker and his elves? The one where he would just find perfectly made pairs of shoes waiting for him?”

Sophia trawled her memory. “Vaguely. I mean, I think those were different kinds of elves…”

Bobby pursed his mouth slightly, looking disappointed, before shaking it off and continuing “Well, I thought I’d take all of his clothes out of his suitcase, and then replace them with as many shoes as possible. It’ll be so funny when he opens it”.

“Bobby, I’m not sure that’s such a…” She looked at him. Really looked at him. “Bobby, are you ok?”

His smile slipped ever so slightly. 

“Yeah. No” he sat down on a bench by one of the dressing tables. 

“Ok, scooch over mister” Sophia demanded, using her hip to playfully bump him over on the bench so there was room for her to sit down as well. Their legs touched, and she noticed Bobby tapping his foot slightly. Nerves maybe?

“Bobby, what’s up?”

He stretched his hands out and inspected them as he spoke. “I’m not feeling … anything with Priya. And I’m starting to worry that I'm not going to find the right spark...with a girl that feels it for me. I mean, Priya is beautiful, and we have so much fun, but that feeling isn’t there, you know?”

He turned to look at her, the closeness of his face and those gorgeous amber eyes making her unable to speak. She wanted to tell him she understood that feeling. That it was causing her stomach to somersault right now. But no words escaped and so he continued.

“This is just me to be honest. It’s just what I’m like with girls. Although outside this island if I’m feeling lost I can just shift into a fox and go running through forests for hours, or a bird and just...fly. I feel trapped.”

Sophia wanted to tell him that it was ok. That maybe the one for him was here already. Sat a few centimetres away. But she had something with Gary, and Bobby was too important to mess with, she knew that. 

Instead, she reached forward and gently took his hand. 

“Babe, nothing is stopping you from running free here for a while you know”.

At that moment her phone let out a blood curdling scream. She looked down at it “Lucas wants me to go on a date with him. It’s asking me to say if I want to…”

Bobby looked back down at his hands and muttered “You’re wrong. Something is stopping me…”

Sophia wasn’t listening at that moment, still digesting the text. “Interesting. I can choose whether I want to go on the date”. She thought of the way Lucas and Hope had been together earlier. Thought about the swirling confusion she already had circling in her head. “I opt...no”.

Bobby looked at her, smiling again. “No? Handsome vamps aren’t your thing? I mean...I’ve seen you with Noah, so I know that’s not true”. 

She laughed. “I have quite enough supernatural testosterone on my plate right now, thanks Bobby”. 

She smiled at him. “Bobby, it’s early days. I’m going to leave you to carry out your master prank. I’m suddenly starving. You’ll find your girl”. 

As she walked away she was too busy sending a response of ‘no, ta’ to the text that she didn’t hear the whisper quiet words that left Bobby.

“I already have”.

……………………………..

After making a sandwich Sophia had looked around the grounds, trying to find Gary for a chat. Who was she kidding? More than a chat. But he was nowhere and so she went back inside and curled up on an antique chaise lounge, browsing the stack of books on an imposing bookcase in the foyer. She picked up one particularly battered book, hardback bound in dark brown fabric. ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’.

Well at least Frankenstein’s monster hasn’t arrived yet she thought, and laughed to herself at the thought. 

As she sat and read she suddenly saw a flash of red fur streak past her and run out of the open front door. She smiled. Bobby had decided to run free for a while. 

Gradually all of the islanders started gathering in the foyer, the girls who had been on dates returning from them, and those who had been at the mansion the entire time appearing from god only knows where.

Gary came in and looked around for a place to sit. His eyes landed on the space next to Sophia, before settling instead on an old ottoman that was off to one side. Her stomach clenched with a rush of nerves as she wondered what had happened. The Gary she knew yesterday wouldn’t have hesitated to take the chance to sit with her. Instead it was Rahim who shambled slowly over to her and sat down.

“Hey Sophia”

“Hey Zombie Boy, what you been up to?”

“Oh I have this really strict skincare regime. To stop it, you know, like...flaking off. So I’ve been soaking in a bath of my special lotion for the last six hours”.

“O...k”

Sophia thought back to a time, less than a week ago, when a simple ‘what you been up to’ question wouldn’t have resulted in an answer that caused her to gag a little.

Lottie arrived back from her date with Henrik and scanned the room, choosing to sit next to Gary. Sophia knew the time was coming when an awkward conversation was going to have to take place. However, she wasn’t sure in this moment if the conversation was going to be her telling Lottie to back the hell off, or Gary telling her that he was more interested in Lottie.

It seemed like either option was going to hurt, either her heart was going to be a little bit shattered, or her body if Lottie decided to unleash her witch powers. 

Everyone was chatting and laughing, and the tension eased slightly, Sophia relaxing into a conversation about childhood dreams and discovering that Noah had always wanted to be a librarian. He was the most peaceful soul she had ever met, she was sure of it, but it was such a stark contrast to the pronounced fangs that were on show any time he smiled, and to the woman currently draped across his lap who exuded a sense of absolute menace. Sophia struggled to equate the two different parts of his personality.

A soft padding of paws on the floor announced the return of Bobby, still in his fox form. He jumped up onto the seat next to Priya, who proceeded to stroke his fur lightly, scratching behind his ear until Sophia saw a fox smile for the first time in her life. Eventually everyone had returned, including the new elf and vamp editions to the group. 

A scream announced the arrival of a text on Lottie’s phone, and she read out the message. 

“Islanders, in an hour there will be a Welcome Party to celebrate the arrival of the new boys. #time to glam your elf up”

Sophia realised a party was exactly what she needed, and ran happily upstairs with the other girls to choose an outfit. She settled for an emerald green satin dress with a cowl neckline which clung to every curve, and for a change decided to wear some killer heels. She checked herself out in the full length mirror and felt confident when she saw the girl looking back at her. Right now she wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Gary, why he’d been so distant, but she was sure she was going to keep her head held high and enjoy the rest of the night. There were plenty more werewolves in the sea. 

She knew that was a lie. Knew there was only one Gary out there. For a second her eyes threatened to fill with tears, but with one deep breath, and a flick of her hair, she walked out of the changing room and downstairs. 

Music was playing. It was a dirty, grungy song, the lyrics full of sex but full of pain. 

_Help me  
I broke apart my insides  
Help me  
I've got no soul to sell  
Help me  
The only thing that works for me  
Help me get away from myself _

Sophia sighed a little. Was it too much to hope for that the playlist might include something a little more...upbeat? 

She looked around the grounds to see who was already outside. Rocco and Henrik were stood, seemingly having a conversation and a competition to see who could puff their chest out more. Rocco was clearly feeling threatened by the new nature boy.

Lottie, Rahim, Priya and Bobby were all in the kitchen, and Sophia chose this group as her first point of contact. She was amazed to see that Rahim seemed to be mixing cocktails for the group. It was the most normal thing she had seen him do, and her heart melted a little at how happy he seemed at having the group around him, watching him work.

“Hey guys” Sophia sat on a stool “what we drinking Rahim?”.

He smiled up at her. “It’s a new creation. I’m calling it the living dead. I did a cocktail course years ago...before..you know...the change. I thought it might help me up my game with the girls”.

He garnished every drink with a slice of jalapeno pepper and then passed them around the group. Sophia took a sip of the green liquid. The taste of grapefruit hit her first, but it was followed by a spicy hit of jalapeno and cayenne pepper.

It was delicious.

“Rahim, this is so good” Bobby exclaimed taking another sip. 

“Agreed” Sophia exclaimed.

Rahim smiled again. “I might not be able to drink anymore, but I’m happy that my skills are being put to good use”.

At that moment Gary came and sat on the stool by Sophia. He turned to her and grinned.

“Fancy seeing you here” he spoke quietly, before turning to the rest of the group. “Got one of those for me, Rahim?”

“Sure” Rahim responded as slid one along the bar. “Just be warned that they’re kind of spicy”.

Gary waved a dismissive hand as he used the other one to catch the sliding glass. “Please...ain’t nothing hotter than a wolf, Rahim. Right Sophia?”

Sophia looked at him, happy that he didn’t seem to be avoiding her anymore, but bemused about the change of mood. “Take a sip and we can test it” she shrugged.

Gary put the glass to his mouth and downed the cocktail in one. As he slammed the glass back onto the worktop, a red flush crept up his neck and through his face. His eyes started watering and it looked like they were bulging out of his head.

“You alright there?” Bobby asked, a look of concern mixed with amusement on his face.

“Y.eee...p” Gary managed, his voice hoarse. Without another word he slid off the stool and started walking away from the group, coughing as he went.

Rahim looked concerned. “It’s not that bad is it guys?”

Sophia laughed. “No, not at all. It has a bit of a kick, promise…” she stopped talking when she saw Lottie watching Gary leave, an intense look on her face that was difficult to read.

Lottie opened the fridge and started pouring a glass of milk. “I’m just going to take him this, it’ll help sooth the burn”. 

She walked away, glass of milk held up, hips swaying. Sophia took the glass with the remaining cocktail in it and slid off the stool, suddenly needing to be away from the eyes that had all settled on her face, looking for her reaction. “I’m just going….” where was she going? “Anywhere”.

She walked away, feeling slightly unsteady on her feet, and unsure if it was due to the heels, the excessive amount of vodka in the cocktail, or a combination of the two. Her eyes settled on Rocco and Marisol sat over by the pool, deep in conversation. She walked over to them, but as Marisol heard her approach she held a finger to Rocco’s lips, stopping him talking. They both looked at Sophia as she stood over them. 

“Hi guys, what ya doing?” she asked. 

“Oh, just sitting” was Rocco’s response.

The three shared an awkward silence, before Sophia gave up and shrugged. “This was fun, we should do it again sometime” and walked off. Bobby intercepted her on her way to the hell pit, which she’d decided was her next stop. 

“Sophia” he rested a hand on her upper arm. “I just wanted to say thanks for our chat. I felt so much better afterwards. I’ve decided it’s time to make sure I’m being myself. That I do what I want, not what other people might want. Thank you for helping me get my head where it needed to be”.

She leaned forward and hugged him. “Anytime Bobby” she responded quietly, pulling away from the hug, but not so far that she couldn’t count every freckle scattered across his face. 

Her hands were still resting on his chest, rising and falling in time with his breath. With her heels on he wasn’t much taller than her, and it would be so easy for her to lean forward and kiss him. She really wanted to kiss him. His lips looked soft and his mouth had a natural pout that was inviting her. 

She realised that she had been staring at his mouth for longer than was socially acceptable, and looked up at his eyes again, which were sparkling with...amusement? 

She stepped back. “Shall we go and find the others?”

He smiled at her, but there was something playing across the smile that was more suggestive than friendly. “Sure”.

They walked in silence over to the group. Sophia wasn’t sure what had been said before they arrived, but Noah had a slight look of disgust on his face, Hope was rolling her eyes in disapproval and Gary was roaring with laughter. There was no sign of Lottie, but Lucas and Henrik were stood off to the side, looking awkward and like they wanted to join the group but weren’t sure if they were welcome. She waved them over, before turning to Noah.

“What are you guys talking about”?

Hope interjected “Gary was getting us to guess his riddles. If you can call them that”.

“I’ve got another one!” Gary interjected “What do you have to tie down in order to get it up?”

The group all looked at each other in bemusement for a moment as they tried to solve the riddle.

“Another hint is that it’ll get wet before you do” Gary added.

Sophia laughed when she realised what it was. “Would you be sticking your pole in it, Gary?”

He burst out laughing “Yes, yes I would, Sophia”

“Is it..a tent?” she asked

“It is!” 

Noah groaned again, but a slight smile played on his lips. The rest of the night passed with joke telling, piggyback racing, cocktail drinking and some dancing. There was no more sexual tension, no drama, and as Sophia collapsed into bed at the end of the night she hoped they could have some more time like this. Light, happy, fun.

But as she drifted into a sleep full of dreams of foxes with amber eyes, a librarian vampire bending a girl over a library counter, teeth biting into the delicate skin on her neck, and riding on the back of a wolf as it ran through a pitch black forest, it seemed increasingly unlikely. 

……………..

She woke to the sound of girls chattering and giggling. It was an unsettling sound, the first time she’d really heard it since arriving on the island.

“They’re both a bit of me” she heard Priya announce. 

“It’s Henrik for me” Lottie had responded.

Sophia sat up, and quickly put her hand to her head.

“It’s alive!” Priya laughed.

Sophia groaned. “I’m not sure about that. I’m going to have to speak to Rahim about the vodka to juice levels of those cocktails”.

Hope looked at her “We’re talking about the new boys and what we think of them”.

“Oh” Sophia responded, her brain unable to fully engage with the conversation “they’re nice guys but I don’t think they’re for me to be honest”

Hope smiled, clearly happy with that response “More for the rest of us then. I have to admit that Lucas has caught my eye”.

Sophia cast her eyes to the snoring coffin in the side of the room, and couldn’t resist the next words to leave her.

“So does that mean Noah’s back on the market?”

Lottie snorted with laughter and Hope settled a cold stare on her.

“Let’s not do that, shall we Sophia?”.

Sophia felt like she’d just been told off at school and was about to respond when Hope jumped out of bed and clapped her hands. “Let’s start the night shall we girls?”

Everyone was in agreement, and the next couple of hours passed in a mellow mood, reminiscent of the party the night before. Just as Sophia was wondering if this could be the new vibe for the mansion Priya’s phone let out the usual tone of impending doom, as a text arrived.

“Islanders - it’s time to find out who’s been naughty, and who can keep their mouths stitched shut in today’s challenge: Kiss and Tell” 

Sophia smiled ruefully. A kissing challenge didn’t seem like something that would help maintain the calm tranquility of the last few hours. 

But it did sound like fun.

Everyone got ready and ran over to the cars waiting to take them out to the challenge platform again. When they arrived they discovered it was a much simpler set-up than the last challenge. They’d take it in turns to draw a card with a fact on it, and they had to guess who the fact was about by kissing that person. It was girls vs boys, with the winning team winning some cocktails.

Sophia wasn’t sure her body could handle more alcohol at that moment, but the nervous butterflies in her stomach told her she was excited to see who she would be kissing. 

The first couple of rounds were relatively peaceful, with Hope accurately guessing Rahim had spent a ridiculous amount of money on a date, and Bobby guessing that Priya had once won a sailing competition by default as all other yacht captains had started sailing along behind her, calling out to her, asking for her number, a date, her hand in marriage.The kisses had been kept friendly and free of any passion.

Then it was Sophia’s turn and she picked up the card, and read out loud “Kiss the boy who has had the most sexual partners”.

The girls started saying names. Rocco because he was clearly a flirt, Noah and Lucas because they had been alive for so much longer. But she knew the answer to this without having to think. 

Gary.

It could only be him. The man had a raw sexual energy and she strongly doubted that she wasn’t one of many girls to have been caught up by it. 

She threw the card on the floor and decided she might as well make the most of this moment, particularly in light of the unexplained tension between them for the past day.

She put a hand on her hip and walked confidently up to Gary, weaving her arms around his neck and to the back of his head. But she didn’t get a chance to stand on tiptoes and kiss him, because before she could, he bent down and hungrily kissed her. As his tongue moved in her mouth her body responded with a similar hunger, searching for confirmation that he was still interested in her, and that she still wanted him. She bit his bottom lip, pulling at it, and let out a little growl of her own. 

“God” he murmured, before returning to kissing her, his hands sliding down her back. 

A cough broke them out of their moment. It was Rahim.

“Guys, we have a challenge to play?”

Sophia and Gary smiled at each other, kissing one last time before Sophia walked back to the girls. 

And so the game continued. Lucas had incorrectly guessed a fact was about her, but they had kept the kiss PG, and Sophia had been slightly relieved to discover there was no fire in her stomach when their lips met. The game was remarkably drama free until Marisol picked a card which asked her to find the boy who had regular chest, sack and crack waxes. There were two boys the girls all agreed it clearly wasn’t, and that was Gary and Rocco, so it had come as a surprise to the group when Marisol sashayed her way over to Rocco and pulled him in for a long and sultry kiss. Lottie was stood by Sophia, and the waves of anger were so strong she could feel them. She reached out a hand and found Lottie’s squeezing it slightly. She had no idea what was going on between Gary and Lottie, but she didn’t like to see anyone hurt or embarrassed. 

It was Rocco’s turn next and he had returned the favour, sweeping Marisol into a deep kiss, the sparks flying between them visible to the naked eye. 

“What the hell” Lottie had exclaimed. Sophia had squeezed her hand again “Stay strong Lottie, you’re better than this”.

Lottie had looked at her with an expression that suggested she was about to snap, but after looking into Sophia’s eyes she nodded, her face falling into an expression of sadness.

Bobby spoke up. “Uh, it’s a draw. Girls...I have a feeling you could use the drinks. Sophia, want one more try?”

Why her? “Uh yeah, sure” she responded, drawing a card. “Kiss the boy who once had sex covered in body glitter. This boy was still finding it in all kinds of orifices a week later”

Sophia smiled. This could only be one boy and she didn’t need to talk about it. She threw the card over her shoulder and walked confidently over to Noah. She was aware of Hope’s eyes on her, and knew she needed to keep this restrained.

“Hello glitter monkey” she smiled up at Noah “I can’t believe you actually agreed to the glitter”

Noah shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “Sometimes a boy has got to do what a boy has gotta do to get some time with his girlfriend”.

Noah was the tallest boy in the mansion, and she stood on her tiptoes, intending to kiss him gently on the lips and then walk away. But even the best plans could fall to ruin when ridiculously handsome vampire boys were involved.

As their lips met she was amazed by how soft they felt. His mouth was cool, but he somehow tasted sweet. His pillow soft lips parted against hers slightly, and with that one tiny movement she was lost. Her arms found their way around his neck and she pulled him closer towards her. He responded without hesitation, and she felt the gentle lick of his tongue against her lips. A combination of the feel of his tongue, the taste and smell of him, sent her sensations into overdrive and she was fairly sure her legs were going to give way, but she needn’t have worried.

Noah wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her, not pausing his soft kisses against her mouth for a second. Before she knew what was happening he dipped her sideways, his arms holding her securely, bending over her, his kisses becoming more urgent in that moment. Her tongue responded to his and moved into his mouth. She gasped when it hit the sharpness of one of his canine teeth, but she wasn’t scared. Quite the opposite. 

Between Gary, Bobby and now Noah, she realised she needed to own her kink for fangs, and she was ok with that.

But now wasn’t the time to muse on new fetishes. Instead she ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head, appreciating how soft it felt. There was nothing about him that wasn’t beautiful. 

A guttural noise broke the moment and Noah carefully lifted her to standing position. He leaned forward and whispered “Since the first moment I saw you” in her ear before stepping back. She took a moment to steady herself before turning back to the other islanders. From the look of fury on Gary and Hope’s face she couldn’t tell who had made the noise.

“That was correct and the girls win” Bobby said, the cheerful tone in his voice sounding slightly forced. 

“Great teamwork girls” Lottie responded, the sarcasm dripping from every word.

And just like that, all tension was back in the group. Sophia knew the challenges were designed to cause this, but it was still disappointing. She couldn’t feel sad for long that the peace had ended, because all her mind wanted to focus on the feel of Noah’s lips. She could still taste him, feel him pulsing through her body. 

Gary had walked back to the cars with her, and had surprised her with his reaction to the kiss. “Look, I’m not going to lie, I’d rather I hadn’t had to watch that vamp with his lips on you. But I get it, we’re playing a game at the moment, we’re going to be testing things. It’s ok. You might want to speak to Bobby though, there’s something going on there. That roar he made when the two of you were kissing was one of pure anguish”. 

“B...Bobby?” but Gary had walked over to Rahim and was teasing him about his kiss with Hope before she could question any further.  
When they’d arrived at the mansion, the girls had all gone upstairs to change. The main topic of conversation had been Rocco. It seemed he’d been working his way around the other girls, flirting and trying his luck. Lottie was hurt and furious, and planning all the spells she wanted to try to teach him a lesson. The most startling one had been replacing his penis with a cactus, and Sophia cringed at the thought.

Sophia wasn’t sure who had nominated her as a camp counsellor, but once everyone was outside, she had spent a long time talking to Marisol, who clearly had genuine feelings for Rocco, and had just found herself following them in the moment. Sophia could hardly blame her after the kiss with Noah. She had then spent some time with Lottie, who had calmed down a lot, and was reflecting on the fact that she hadn’t been feeling the spark with the traveling shaman anyway. Sophia felt a knot of concern in her stomach when Lottie vowed to give up on trying to be loyal to the girls, and to go for whatever man she wanted instead. There was no doubt in Sophia’s mind that the man was Gary. 

She’d tried to find Gary to talk to him after she left Lottie, but Rahim told her he’d last been seen running towards the forest. Noah was also nowhere to be found. The girls had then gathered on the terrace, the tension thick between Marisol and Lottie. Lottie’s mood was back to being one of brooding anger, and she vowed to remove all thoughts of Rocco from her life. 

Sophia had made her excuses and left the group as soon as she could, desperate to be alone, and made her way to the night bed because she couldn’t face the thought of another day spent in the pitch black of the bedroom. However, the island gods apparently had another plan and she saw someone she hadn’t realised how desperately she needed to be with, until that moment.

Bobby.

She walked over to the hell pit and her breath was almost taken away by how gorgeous he looked sat there in that moment. The glow from the pit was playing across the angles of his face. His eyes were dark, their usual light amber glow replaced by something else. 

He had a grey blanket draped around his shoulders, and as she walked over to him he patted the bench next to him.

“It’s cold lass. Come and sit down next to me, there’s room under this blanket for two”. 

She hadn’t realised how cold she was until that moment, and gladly accepted his offer. She sat down close beside him, her thigh touching his, and he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. 

“I thought you’d be ok with the cold, between your Scottish blood, and your habit of running through forests in the dead of night”.

He let out a low chuckle. It was a beautiful sound and she wanted to hear it more often.

“Well my blood is half Jamaican on my mum’s side. And my furry and feathered friends tend to have natural resilience which I inherent. Although..” he looked down at her “I’m not that cold really, I was just hoping that a beautiful girl would walk by seeking warmth” his voice lowered as he finished his sentence “and here you are”.

Sophia felt a warmth spreading that wasn’t coming from the blanket or the pit. He continued

“So it seems like everyone is looking over their shoulders after that last challenge. I don’t want to get caught up in any games but there’s something I need to say”

He moved around so that he was facing her, the blanket falling off his shoulders, and so instead he deftly tucked it fully around her, his hands working quickly and gracefully to secure it in place.

She instinctively reached her hands out from under the blanket and placed them over his, as she waited for him to explain, aware that this could be a rare moment of Bobby taking a risk and opening up his heart.

“Sophia, I know things are complicated with you. You’re coupled with Rahim, clearly have some kind of fire with Gary, and then there’s whatever that was with Noah today. But I’m going to regret not telling you that I like you. A lot. That I’ve liked you from the first moment I saw you, and my heart has been squeezed a little bit more every day by the fact I’m not with you. I know this is a game, and we’re all here to play it in the hope that true love is the ultimate prize, but do you think there could be anything between ...us?”

She stroked his hand, staring down at it as she spoke, unable to look into his eyes at that moment.

“I’m so confused Bobby. I feel a pull towards you. You’re gorgeous, and kind, and funny, and...did I say gorgeous?”

She could hear a slight shake in his voice as he responded “You might have, but I don’t think I’d ever get bored hearing you tell me you think I’m gorgeous”

She couldn’t resist looking at him a moment longer and so looked up into his eyes, and knew she was trapped. 

“I...I think there’s something there between us. But I don’t understand where that fits in the bigger picture at the moment”.

He smiled, and it lit his eyes with a warmth that even the glow from the pit couldn’t achieve. “That’s all I needed to hear for now. Let’s keep playing this game and see where fate takes us”

She didn’t respond, and instead found herself staring at his mouth as he spoke. She imagined, not for the first time, what kissing those lips would feel like.

“What? Have I got something on my mouth? Honestly, what? Why are you staring like that?”

Sophia’s eyes flicked back up to his, and the look that was in them meant that she didn’t need to say a word. Within a heartbeat, his hands were cupping her face, and he moved towards her until his lips found hers. She closed her eyes and melted into the feeling of warmth that surrounded her. It was different from the blazing heat of Gary. Instead it felt like a warm breeze was tickling her skin, a delicate smell of woodland and spice dancing around in the air. His kiss was soft at first, his lips gently brushing hers. His tongue didn’t find its way into her mouth at first, but instead delicately traced the outline of her lips, sending tingles through her body. Any sense of feeling cold was long gone and she pushed the blanket back off her shoulders and then moved her hands to press against the bare skin of his chest, exposed thanks to his usual style of leaving the top buttons of his shirt open. One hand remained on his chest, enjoying the feel of his heartbeat, while the other lightly trailed its way up to his neck, resting at the back, under his hairline, her fingers lightly scratching backward and forwards. As their kisses became more intense she could feel the electricity running down her spine. His hand worked its way around her waist, and he pulled her body in even closer. Everything about this moment was perfect and she knew she didn't want it to end. She wanted to feel this intoxicating warmth around her forever. She felt happy, safe and turned on in equal measure, and that wasn’t something she’d ever felt before. 

But eventually, they broke away, looking into each other's eyes, their breath quick, their hands still resting on each other. She placed a hand on his face, her thumb lightly tracing along his defined cheekbone and then down his jawline. His hand was at the small of her back, and she could feel him lightly stroking up and down with his thumb.

This moment had to end. She suddenly wished she had her own supernatural power and could stop time. Instead she smiled at him, and he returned it before eventually speaking, his voice deep but soft. “I suppose it’s time for sleep”. 

She knew what he actually meant was ‘I suppose its time we stopped doing this so I have some chance of protecting my heart if you choose another boy’. So she nodded. “I was going to sleep on the night beds. My sleep pattern is so messed up, but I feel so much happier out here in the fresh air”.

“Good plan” he responded, standing and taking her hand. He picked the blanket up, and they walked over to the beds. 

As she climbed into the bed he carefully placed the blanket over her and she looked up at him. “Stay with me Bobby.”

He smiled softly “Of course”.

He walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. She curled up onto her side and he gently spooned her, snuggling his body into the curves of hers, his warmth ensuring she wasn’t going to be cold on that chilly evening. 

As Sophia drifted off she had a sense that it wasn’t the first time they’d shared a daybed, but it was the first time he’d felt comfortable enough to be there so openly.

The peace that surrounded her in that moment meant that she fell into the deepest sleep since her arrival on the island. 

It was so deep she didn’t even hear the sound of a howling wolf in the distance.


	8. Mr Ghoul Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the Mr Ghoul Island contest...and we find out which boys are at risk of being booted from the island by the public.

“Sophia, Babe, you are going to have to stop beating yourself up right now. You didn’t force those fuzzballs to fall for you, and honestly, it’s still early days, you should be testing the waters”. 

Priya and Sophia were stretched out on the sunbeds by the pool, enjoying the last of the daylight as the sun slowly set on the horizon. Sophia had been feeling tortured about kissing Bobby, worried she was leading him on due to how unresolved her feelings for Gary were. She trusted Priya and so had opened up, told her everything that had happened in the past few days. Well, almost everything. She might have left out a few kitchen details.

Priya had been her usual uplifting self, and the weight of guilt was slowly lifting from her shoulders. Unfortunately, a knot of tension was still maintaining a grip on her stomach when she thought about choosing between them, and she couldn’t even bring herself to think about the kiss with Noah that had been so sweet. So delicious.

Priya sat up and looked at Sophia, her face screwed up in mock confusion. “Anyway, why am I lying here giving you advice when I’m the sad and lonely Siren who apparently no boy actually wants. I’m going to start singing at them soon, I swear, just to get some action”.

Sophia smiled at her “I can honestly say I have absolutely no idea why they aren’t all absolutely in love with you. Really. Maybe we should just hook up? That would be a whole different level of drama”

Priya laughed “Babe, I’m not going to be another notch on your bedpost”.

“Pfff...we’ll see” Sophia responded, giggling. 

Their fun was interrupted by the familiar scream, coming from Priya’s phone. “Damn, I’ve got a text, are the others even awake yet? She stood in the middle of the garden and shouted towards the forest “I’ve got a text!” before running inside and bellowing the same message up the stairs.

Sophia wandered slowly after her, slightly dreading whatever drama that text might hold. If it was a girl’s choice recoupling she was screwed, she knew that much. The sound of multiple running paws could be heard behind her, but she didn't dare turn around. Had Gary and Bobby both been in the forest? Had they spoken about her...or growled about her, at least? 

She hurried into the dark dining room, where everyone else seemed to be gathering, knowing none of the last light of the day would be present. A few minutes later Bobby and Gary walked through the door, in their fully human form, and the group was complete. Priya began reading

“Girls, later today you will decide which boy is the most dateable. Guys, smooth out those manners and straighten out those lines. It’s date or break time!”

The boys all started looking around the group nervously. Gary reached up and scratched the back of his neck, and Rahim groaned “I’m in trouble”.

Gradually the group started to break up, as the islanders began moving to different points across the mansion grounds now that the sun had gone down. The temperature was getting colder and Sophia gave up on any attempt to dress to impress, settling on a hoodie and jeans instead. She felt comfortable and relaxed, more herself. 

When she walked outside she saw Lottie, Henrik and Lucas talking. She hadn’t really taken any time to talk to the new boys and so decided to change that. 

“Hey guys, what we talking about”

“Oh, just first dates” Henrik responded “I was just saying that I’d take a girl mushroom foraging”.

Sophia couldn’t imagine fungi igniting much passion but smiled politely and turned to look at Lucas. 

“It’s all about the company for me. Somewhere alone, quiet, just...talking” Lucas explained, staring intently at Sophia as he spoke. “Whatever the date is, I do know that money isn’t important. You can’t buy happiness...or the spark of love. The magic of that first kiss”.

Gary chose that moment to join the group. He looked around at everyone, before dropping backwards onto a beanbag. “First kisses? Can’t beat them, eh Sophia? You can tell a lot about how you feel from that first touch of lips”. He raised an eyebrow at Sophia, and she blushed, remembering the moments they’d shared, thinking about the effect his lips had on her. And then she thought of Bobby’s lips and began spiralling back into her fur lined pit of confusion. 

Lottie’s eyes moved between the two of them and she snarled a little before snapping at him “Stop that. We’re having a serious conversation about dating so that we can judge you all later”. Her snarl disappeared as she put her hand on her hip and looked down at him. “So, kissing and doing the dirty. What are your rules?”

Gary looked up at her, both eyebrows raised now “Dirty? Oh no, I do my own laundry, thanks”

Lottie just stood looking at him, the corners of her mouth moving into a smile, and Sophia’s stomach clenched. What was going on between them? Presumably a kiss, from Lottie’s very pointed question, but was it something more? She could hardly act jealous, she was self aware enough to know that would be incredibly hypocritical. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something had been building between Lottie and Gary for a while, there was a spark between them, that was clear to see, but the missing piece of the jigsaw was whether that spark had ignited. Had it had overtaken whatever it was that she had with Gary.

The conversation continued, the group sharing dating stories, until Rocco arrived and tried to join in. Lottie had clearly decided that his behaviour with Marisol warranted the coldest of shoulders, and the conversation became too uncomfortable, with the islanders wandering off one by one. 

A scream from Priya’s phone announced a new challenge for the boys, the boys started to look nervous again as Priya read, unable to hide her glee at the challenge. 

“Islanders, later tonight the boys will be performing in a Talent Contest. The girls will choose which boy’s act impresses them the most. 

#whohasthexfactor? #don’tduckitup”

The reaction from the boys was mixed. Bobby and Henrik ran into the mansion at breakneck speed to start getting ready, with whoops of excitement. The other boys didn’t seem quite as excited by the prospect but gradually began dispersing in order to plan their performance. Sophia was hungry, she realised and wandered to the kitchen area to begin foraging for food. As she bent down to look for some salt and vinegar crisps in one of the bottom cupboards she heard a noise that make her jump.

“Psssss”

Fuck. What was it? A snake? She didn’t really mind snakes, quite liked them in fact, but this was blatantly going to be some kind of horror snake.

She spun on her heels, all thoughts of crisps forgotten and found that the origin of the noise was less green and reptilian, and more tall, dark, handsome and vampire.

Noah.

“Hey...Noah. Whatcha doing? Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” she asked, looking up into his face, his eyes flashing with something...nerves? He looked around furtively before responding.

“I need your help..please...follow me”.

Sophia shrugged, amused by this new aspect to Noah’s personality, and followed him into the mansion. They stood in the bedroom by his coffin. Bobby suddenly ran through wearing a ...fedora, closely followed by Henrik who seemed to be wearing some kind of tiara. 

“I’m not even going to ask what they’re doing….”

Noah laughed. “Probably for the best. Thanks for coming inside Sophia. I really, really need your help. I’m feeling so nervous and unsure about this. We’ve got three rounds to get through. The first one is fine, we just need to dress up as a favourite movie character and they’ve already given us the outfits for that. But then there’s a talent round and a speech, and I feel like I have no talent, and I can’t think of a single word to say in a speech”.

She smiled at him. “Noah, the speech will be easy. Just be yourself”.

“Is that enough though? Look at who I’m up against!”

At that moment Gary ran through the bedroom wearing nothing but some very, very tight grey leggings which left nothing to the imagination.

Sophia had to take a minute before she could respond.

“Uhh…”

She took a moment more.

“Sorry, what were we saying? Oh! Yes! You are more than enough Noah. You’re kind, thoughtful, intelligent. You can absolutely smash the speech. And as for the talent, just think of something you can do which would surprise people. I mean...you’re a vampire...that’s gotta bring some scary ass talents with it”. 

Noah looked down at her for a second, clearly trying to think of a talent still.

“No, I’ve got nothing” he sighed.

“You must! I’m a mere mortal and I’ve got some talents up my sleeve”.

“Oh, I’ve got no doubt...I can think of a few you’ve shown already…”

She blushed. Presumably her slime skills and kissing skills. But this was no time for that.

“Ha. Yeah. Uh, apart from those, I also know every word of every episode of Doctor Who with the 10th Doctor in...I know sign language...errr... I can burp the alphabet”.

Noah looked at her, his eyes widening in awe. “Sign something to me”

She paused for a moment, thinking and then signed “You might be the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. You both terrify me and make me feel happy and safe. I don’t know how you do it, but I want to find out”.

When she finished he looked at her. “What did you say?”

She shrugged. “That’s for you to find out when you watch this episode on repeat, vamp boy. But seriously, just think of something that makes you who you are”.

His face lit up with a smile. “I know what to do”.

“Great!” she responded, smiling back at him.

Out of nowhere Noah stepped forward and swept her up into a hug, his strong arms enveloping her. “Thank you Sophia” he murmured, his lips touching the top of her head.

She responded without thinking “Of course, I think the world of you Noah, I’d help you any time”

He stepped back and regarded her silently. His face looked different, like he was really seeing Sophia clearly for the first time. Then the moment passed and he smiled again “I’d better go and put on my costume. See you later, and thank you again”.

Sophia walked back outside and resumed her search for crisps, before heading over to where the girls were clustered, a buzz of excitement in the group, happy to have the power over the boys, for today at least.

A text announced that it was time for them to assemble at the judges table and so they wandered over to the lawn area by the pool, where a catwalk had been erected, a long row of chairs and a table at one end for the judges, and a ‘Mr Ghoul Island’ banner at the other.

It took a few minutes before the costume round started. Rocco started, dressed as a Regency gentleman and pretending to ride on a horse. He began delivering quotes which Sophia recognised as being from Pride and Prejudice. 

He walked over to the judges table and leaned over it towards Marisol “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you” he said, stroking a hand over her cheek.

Lottie coughed loudly, the cough ending with the word ‘bullshit’.

He was followed by Noah, who was dressed as Batman. The outfit covered everything but his mouth, and emphasised how broad his shoulders were. It was a cute play on the vampire theme, but as he walked along the stage, the combination of the molded torso, and the swish of his cape were, well, hot. He stood in front of the judges, hands on his hips, and announced “I’m Batman” in his deepest, gravelly voice. 

He was followed by Bobby who looked gorgeous as Indiana Jones, the fedora suddenly making sense. He dropped and rolled along the stage, before cracking his whip in the direction of the judges. Suddenly he shot his arm out, and a rubber snake flew out. “Snakes! Why’d it have to be snakes” he exclaimed before doing another drop and roll, which unfortunately sent him sideways off the stage. Luckily he bounced up again and went running off, apparently with no bones broken. 

Henrik was next, dressed like Galadriel the elf. He looked breathtakingly beautiful in the flowing white dress. Before Sophia could muse on whether he was actually the most beautiful person in the villa, Lucas arrived...also dressed like Batman. The vampire boys had an attraction towards him apparently. To his credit, it was clearly a different era of Batman, his suit displaying some alarming molded nipples, and its fixed and immovable neck meaning that he couldn’t turn his head, instead awkwardly turning his whole body. Rahim appeared as Superman. The lycra costume emphasising just how amazing his physique still was. Sophia knew he was a huge fan of superheroes, they’d talked about them many times. He had a secret desire to be the world’s first zombie superhero, she knew that much. She beamed at him and clapped enthusiastically, knowing it was probably pushing him way out of his comfort zone. 

That left one boy to appear, and Sophia found herself impatiently tapping her nails on the table. Eager to see the rest of the costume those leggings belonged to.

And then the music started and her heart was full of absolute joy when the pieces fell together. 

David Bowie’s voice spoke across the mansion grounds, pumping through the speakers.

“You remind me of the Babe”

“What Babe?”

“The babe with the power”

And with that Gary jumped from the ground up onto the stage, no need for the steps that had been placed for them. He was wearing the tight leggings, which still left every outline of his ...uh...magic staff... exposed to the world. Now he was also wearing black boots pulled up to his knees, a white frilly shirt and a dark brown leather waistcoat. The whole look was completed with a blonde wig which provided him with an impressively huge mullet.

Jareth.

He was Jareth. They’d talked before, during one of their very rare quiet moments in the first day about the fact Labyrinth was her favourite film of all time. Gary had said he’d loved it as a kid and had joked that he always thought he’d make a good Ludo, the big hairy beast. Sophia had joked about the fact Jareth had been her first childhood crush, and Gary had suggested that perhaps he should be aiming for the Goblin King position in that case. 

And here he was, walking the length of the catwalk, lip-synching every word of the song, before jumping onto the table and giving it his best Bowie moves.

He might not have Bowie’s lithe physique or sense of rhythm, but Sophia’s heart felt fuller in that moment than it ever had as she watched the movie on its 100th repeat. Her sides hurt from laughing, and the other girls were in the same state, wiping tears away from their eyes. The song came to an end, and Gary reached behind him to produce a glass orb, from who knows where, and presented it to Sophia before running and jumping off the stage. The sound of ripping fabric as he did this suggested that perhaps his leggings had lost their fight, but he was gone before the girls could confirm or deny if his arse was now on full show.

The girls regrouped and discussed what they had just seen, all agreeing that round was undoubtedly Gary’s. 

The talent round was as bemusing as it was funny. Rahim appeared twirling a golf club as if it was a lightsaber. He’d explained that he’d played a few rounds of golf with Samuel L Jackson once, and he’d taught him that particularly talent. Henrik had mended a broken shoe in front of them, as if by magic, and Sophia had thought back to Bobby’s idea that all elves were secret shoemakers, and shook her head. Lucas had appeared and shouted ‘Bat’ at the top of his lungs before jumping in the air and flapping his arms. He unfortunately landed on the floor of the stage in a heap, rather than dramatically transforming into a winged creature of the night. After two more attempts he gave up, scowling and muttering to himself about stage fright. 

Gary had been next, approaching the judges and handing them each a frisbee. “Ok, when I say throw, take it in turns to throw each frisbee at me”. Sophia raised an amused eyebrow. The girls did what they were told and Gary caught every frisbee confidentiality, catching them with his hands...and his mouth. Sophia shrugged and inwardly remarked that his playful puppy wolf powers were clearly strong. She wasn’t sure what his pack would think of the talent, however. 

Bobby had been up next, carefully carrying and placing on the judge's table the most beautiful cake Sophia had ever seen. It was a cake of a tall tree, its branches bare of any leaves, but covered with tiny birds. A fondant owl with amber eyes sat on one branch, and at the base of the tree sat a girl in a green dress, feeding a white deer.

It was absolutely too beautiful to eat. Sophia looked at Bobby in surprise. “Bobby...did you…”

“Yep” He responded “Girls, being your own personal wildlife park isn’t my only talent. I can also bake and decorate cakes”

The girls all applauded, wowed by the skill on show.

Noah had been next, asking for a volunteer, and Sophia jumped out of her seat and vaulted over the table before Hope had a chance to react. She nervously wondered what vampire skill she was about to be part of. If he’d asked to bite her neck, she probably would have said yes at that point.

Instead, he lifted a chair up onto the catwalk and gestured for her to sit down. She did as asked, and he walked behind her. He leaned down to whisper “Thank you again” in her ear, causing a tingle to shoot down her spine. He lingered for a moment, and she tilted her head slightly to allow him easy access to her neck.

A voice in her head wondered what the hell she was doing.

But before she could tell it to shut up, Noah was stood again and running his hands through her hair. His cool fingertips felt delicious on her scalp. She could have sat like that for hours, with Noah delicately working his fingers through her hair. But within a couple of minutes he stopped and asked her to turn and display his creation to the judges. A perfect french plait decorated with tiny red flowers stretched down her back. 

Sophia desperately wanted to ask how he knew how to do that. It was so very un-vampire-like but so very Noah. She knew that conversation would have to wait. 

Rocco finished the talent round, his attempt at performing a shamanic rain ritual failing miserably. 

The girls regrouped again and were unanimous that Bobby had absolutely won that round. His cake still sat on the table, untouched, and Sophia realised that the girl at the base of the tree bore a striking resemblance to her. Her heart clenched, but she didn’t have time to muse on the confusing web of emotions for long, as it was time for the speeches.

The boys all gave good speeches. Rahim’s warmed Sophia’s heart and made her even more determined to find the perfect girl for him. Noah’s had focused more on his feelings for Hope, and Sophia felt the now familiar knot of confusion and...jealousy? One by one the boys appeared and spoke their piece until there were only two left.

Gary appeared next and stood in front of the girls, looking vulnerable as he tried to find his words, no sign of the tough confident wolf.

“So I, uh, well” he shook his head “I’m not one for big speeches, but I do have a few things I’d like to say. I know how I can come across. The big wolf. A player. And I do make mistakes, I have made mistakes more recently than I want to admit. But, girls, when I find the one, and when she finds me, I can promise I will be the most faithful and loyal partner. I’m looking for the girl who can make my life complete...and whose life I can complete. I want her to meet my nan and my pack. I hope she’s here”. He looked at someone sat further along the line than Sophia, and she didn’t need to be a mind reader to guess who it was. Her cheeks flushed, disappointment running through her body. 

But then he muttered “I know she is” before his eyes caught Sophia’s. Her stomach flipped and she wanted to just be able to sit and talk to him. To understand what was happening. But the opportunity was just never there, it seemed fate was not working in their favour. He walked calmly off the stage, no over the top leaps to demonstrate his strength, and Sophia had never found him more attractive than in that moment. 

Bobby appeared last, a slight blush across his cheeks as he looked into the eyes of the girls in front of him. He caught Sophia’s eyes and she smiled gently at him, trying to reassure him.

“I haven’t had much luck in love” he began, “and so I hide behind a mask of a thousand different creatures. I make friends easily, but find it difficult to move past that with girls. I’m here to find the girl that can be my best friend, my...lover, my partner in crime and my taste tester. It’s a difficult list of criteria to fill, but my heart is telling me that I can find that girl here, and when I do I promise to cherish every single part of her and her world. To help her understand just how loved she is every day”. 

He didn’t look at Sophia while he was speaking, his eyes moving between the other girls. She sensed he was still attempting to protect his heart, and she couldn’t blame him for a second. He did a dramatic bow and then bounced off the stage.

It didn’t take much deliberation for the girls to decide that Bobby was their winner, the beauty of his cake and sweetness of his speech winning their hearts, but with Gary a close second. The pink sash with tiny black skulls, and “Mr Ghoul Island” printed on it was presented, and Bobby was absolutely beaming as he made his over-the-top thank you speech. The boys bundled him off the platform, but there was no loud splash, and instead, there was just a loud and angry ‘quack!’. Sophia ran over to the platform’s edge to see a duck swimming in the pool, the sash draped over its back, and Bobby’s clothes floating on the surface. His shifting reflexes really were remarkable. 

Everyone drifted away from the catwalk, and the girls went inside to get changed. The boy’s performances were the main topic of conversation, and the room was full of giggling as the girls talked about their favourite moments. Their happy chatter was interrupted by a text telling them that they needed to go to the hell pit because they had an important decision to make. Once everyone was gathered it was Sophia’s turn to receive a text.

“Islanders, tonight the girls will decide which boys are the most and least likely to leave the villa with a girlfriend. Girls, you must send your decisions individually as a text. Sophia had a bad feeling about the vote and what it could mean for the group of boys she had grown to care about. In silence the girls walked away from the boys and began debating who they wanted to vote for, angry whispers shared when one girl disagreed with the decision of another. 

Realising that no mutual agreement was ever going to be reached, they all walked to different parts of the grounds. Sophia sat and looked at her phone, which was asking her to vote for the boy most likely to leave with a girlfriend. She was worried for a few of the boys for different reasons, but it was Rahim she was most concerned about in that moment. He’d struggled to form a bond with the other girls, and they were unlikely to vote for him. Sophia sighed and tapped his name into her phone, desperate to make sure that he had a chance to find love, but hoping it didn’t mean losing the boys she cared about. Well, three boys if she was going to be specific. 

The answer to the least datable was easier. She couldn’t see Henrik with any of the girls in the villa, and so she typed his name into her phone. 

Everyone regrouped at the hell pit, and Priya read out the next text.

“Islanders, the boy who received the most votes, and that you think is most likely to leave with a girlfriend is…..Noah”

Sophia didn’t react. There were no major surprises there. He was all but in an official couple as it was.

Hope’s phone then received the next message.

“The boys who were voted least likely to leave with a girlfriend were…..Rocco….Henrik and ...Lucas”

A murmur ran through the group and Marisol looked like she might want to rip someone’s head off. Sophia’s phone announced yet another message 

“There will now be a public vote and the two boys with the least votes will be leaving the island”.

Silence fell. Sophia had a flashback to the last time an islander was required to leave, and Hannah’s horrifying departure. 

The next time couldn’t be as dramatic. Could it?

Sophia shook her head and looked at the group around her. She had a feeling that life was going to get more dramatic over the next few weeks, not less.

But as she looked at the baking shifter and wolf-like Goblin King who were sitting in front of her she realised the drama was so worth it. 

The sun was threatening to rise and everyone made their way indoors. Sophia sat downstairs for a while, wondering if she could finally have a conversation with Gary, but the howling in the distance told her he’d made his way into the forest instead. 

She sighed and made her way into the bedroom where Marisol and Noah were both dragging the lids of their respective coffin beds closed. She got changed and laid next to Rahim, relieved his name hadn’t been called.

“Thank you” he said quietly.

“What for?” she asked.

“Saving me” he responded “I know you must have voted me most dateable”.

“Any time” she replied and then curled into the fetal position, hugging her knees to her and feeling suddenly very cold. 

When, she wondered, was she going to be able to save herself from the confusion she was feeling at the moment. Sleep took over and she drifted into dreams of huge trees and owls with amber eyes that turned into Jareth, and a girl in a green dress who was at one with nature, peacefully walking through the Forest of Doom and feeding deer.

If only she’d remembered the dream when she’d awoken. She might have realised the girl was her.

But that realisation was still to come.


	9. Double Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't getting any easier for Sophia, but while her heart and head are still being pulled in different directions, the other islanders have a double dumping to contend with....and news of a girl's choice recoupling which is definitely designed to cause some drama for our guys and ghouls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am so, so sorry it's taken so long to put this up. Life kinda exploded on me for a few weeks but I'm happy to be back with our supernatural boys and girls. Chapter 10...all about the date...to follow very soon x

Sophia and Rahim sat in the Shriek Hut, blinking into the camera lens. It was the first time they had been summoned to the hut to be interviewed, and Sophia was nervous about what questions they were going to ask. She didn’t have anything to hide in front of Rahim, he knew that their relationship was one of friendship, not romance, and he also knew that she was struggling with her feelings for some of the other boys. He had eyes, after all, and she wasn’t exactly being stealthy at hiding it.

“So Ibrahim, how does it feel to be coupled with Sophia” a voice spoke out through the microphone. They couldn’t see the crew member who was asking them questions, they were instead a disembodied voice, asking personal questions, the answers to which would be broadcast to millions.

“Sophia’s great. She’s been a massive support to me, and I’m just so relieved I can have a conversation with her now without mentioning brains”.

“But no romantic spark,” the voice asked.

“No. I mean...I would love to get to know her more and see if it’s there...have you seen her? But I can see that I’m not the man for her”.

Sophia was surprised. No conversation between them had even hinted at any attraction, outside of the desire to taste her brain. She smiled at him before quietly responding, to him, not the camera “You deserve far more than the mess I’ve created in here Rahim. You’re going to get your girl, I’m so sure”.

She looked at the camera, waiting for the voice to ask it’s next question, sure it was going to be for her.

And she was right.

“So Sophia, if you’re not feeling the spark with Ibrahaim, who are you feeling it with. Gary maybe, Bobby? Noah?”  
She shifted in her seat. She’d known they’d ask her this but for some reason hadn’t prepared her answer. Possibly because she didn’t have an answer in her head.

She took a deep breath and then answered in a voice that she knew sounded like it was trying too hard to be upbeat.

“Oh you know, it’s early days. I’m getting to know everyone. I’m hopeful that my spark mate is here”

“So your encounter with Gary in the kitchen wasn’t the sign you’d found your spark”

Rahim turned to look at her, his pale eyes open wide, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Something to tell me?” he asked. 

She knew she was blushing bright red, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “No comment” she muttered.

The interview continued, although the questions thankfully became more mundane. They finished and then walked out of the hut. The sun had set while they were in there, and the garden was starting to fill with islanders. There was a strange atmosphere in the air. On one side of the garden Rocco was laying on a daybed with Marisol, who was draped across him, stroking his bare chest. They looked happy, wrapped up in each other. In stark contrast, Lottie was sat on the opposite side of the grounds, glaring at them while Gary seemed to be doing his best to amuse the group by performing some kind of impressions.

The night didn’t become any less weird when they were set a challenge to guess which islanders were being talked about by the public in tweets. Sophia had been nervous that her...encounters...with Gary or Bobby would be mentioned, but there wasn’t anything too scandalous, mostly just individual opinions about islanders which couldn’t be trusted. That changed when Lottie went to read the last tweet off a card, and instead of reading the words, had torn the card into tiny pieces and stormed off, clutching it in her hand. Sophia’s stomach had tied itself up in a knot as she watched Gary running after her, claiming he was checking she was ok, and the two of them weren’t seen again for the next two hours. 

Sophia was starting to wonder if the heat she’d shared with Gary was some kind of fever dream. She was so desperate to speak to him and find out where his head was at, but there was never the right time. How could two people be living in the same mansion, on a small island, and never seem to have time alone? It seemed impossible. Like fate was intervening, except fate was a giant looming figure standing between them, arms folded, refusing to budge. Or maybe just a production crew with a hidden agenda...or a witch with a crush. 

She didn’t see him again until they were summoned to the hell pit for the announcement of who was being dumped from the island. He’d looked at her meaningfully when he sat down, his gaze causing her stomach to flip when she remembered how it felt to look into those eyes close-up. The problem with the meaningful look was that she had absolutely no idea what the meaning behind it was. 

The group had all been in an upbeat mood today, which was a credit to Lucas, Henrik and Rocco who still took part in everything, despite the axe that was hanging over their heads. Sophia sincerely hoped it wasn’t a literal axe after what happened with Hannah. Unfortunately, the tension of waiting to find out who was leaving was clearly starting to get to them. Marisol was holding Rocco’s hand and stroking his hair in an act of tenderness which Sophia hadn’t seen in her before. Lucas was bouncing his leg up and down, while talking quietly to Henrik, who seemed to be...whittling something out of wood?

Then phones started to shriek and the next islanders to leave were confirmed. Henrik and Rocco. Marisol didn’t react well to the news, jumping up and facing the girls, demanding to know who had betrayed her. The girls were silent, no-one daring to speak. 

Henrik and Lucas were hugging each other, seemingly oblivious to the drama around them. Sophia thought, not for the first time, that they really would make a beautiful couple. 

Rocco and Henrik walked slowly back into the mansion to pack their bags and say their final farewells. Henrik surprised Sophia by placing a small wooden heart into the palm of her hand.

“To help you find who you are” was all he said. 

Sophia looked down at the heart, it was what he’d been working on while they were sat around the hell pit. Carved into the centre of the heart was a tree. It was beautiful and Sophia found herself speechless, overwhelmed by how lovely it was, but also trying to understand what he meant.

And then the goodbyes were over quickly and the boys were gone, waived off by the group as their long black cars disappeared into the distance. Sophia breathed a huge sigh of relief that they left in one piece, the relief outweighing the sadness that two islanders were gone. 

It had been another long night, and one that hadn’t helped to resolve any of the confusion swirling in her mind. Between Lottie’s reaction to whatever that mean tweet said, Gary’s meaningful look and the wooden heart she now held in her hand, she had a whole new list of things to lie awake and dwell on. Wonderful.

The islanders were all clearly feeling equally as weary. Lucas looked forlorn to have lost his elven partner in crime, and Marisol had a face of steely thunder, clearly still feeling betrayed. No one was in the mood for early morning fun or flirting, that much was clear, and so they all began walking back inside. 

Sophia started shivering, the cold night air suddenly feeling like it was pressing against her. She turned to walk back to the mansion and felt a warm arm around her, radiating heat into her. She knew who it was without looking, she sensed the gentle energy radiating into her.

“Thank you Bobby” she spoke quietly “I need to give up on glamour and stick to jeans and hoodies”.

“Sounds like a plan to me” he smiled at her. “Let’s face it, you could wear a burlap sack and still be breathtakingly stunning”.

She laughed “Sheesh Bobby. Lay a line on me, why don’t you?”

He didn’t respond, instead just shrugging his shoulders slightly and grinning down at her, a look of happiness on his face. His arm remained in place until the reached the second floor, and then he slowly put it back to his side before they walked into the bedroom. She missed the feel of his skin on her the second it was removed, and she felt a tingle work it’s way down her spine. She shivered slightly, but it was one of excitement and not cold.

The urge to take his hand and lead him to an unknown part of the mansion house suddenly bubbled up inside her and she paused, not wanting to go into the bedroom. There was so much about him she didn’t know and she suddenly wanted to just talk to him for hours, to find out more about his Jamaican mum, his love of baking, his shifting and how that impacted on his life. She wanted to know everything there was to know about this beautiful boy who seemed to be made of pure energy. A rush of regret swept over her as she remembered the time she’d left him sat in the dressing room, still so consumed with her own confusion that she hadn’t given him the time he clearly needed. Maybe this was the time to rectify that. Sophia still wasn’t sure what her feelings for Bobby were, but she was certain that she wanted to know him for the rest of her life, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

She opened her mouth to speak, to ask him to go and explore with her, but before she could she heard Priya shouting from the bedroom. 

“I’ve got a text”

Bobby and Sophia shot a look at each other, clearly sharing the same mixture of intrigue and fear about what was going to happen next, but either way their moment had been lost and they hurried inside the bedroom, walking over to Priya, who began reading as soon as the group was all gathered.

“Islanders, tomorrow there will be a girl’s choice recoupling #let’shearitfortheghouls #decisiontime”

Everyone looked at each other, weighing up what this news meant. Well, not everyone, Gary was steadfastly looking at the ground. Lottie, on the other hand was looking at Sophia and mouthing ‘we need to talk later’ at her. Sophia just nodded slightly. Clearly they needed to talk.

Still digesting the news that things were about to get shaken up again, the group all got ready for bed quickly and quietly. Sophia felt a mix of excitement and dread, the two emotions were still battling in her head as she drifted off to sleep….

….and they were still there when she woke up.

There wasn’t time to dwell on how she was feeling, or what decision she should make. She’d barely opened her eyes before Priya took her hand and dragged her into the changing room, where the girls were already getting themselves ready for the evening. There was a buzz of excitement in the room, the girls enjoying the position of power they suddenly found themselves in. 

“So who do you think you’ll pick, Sophia?” Marisol asked while sipping something from a mug that looked nothing like coffee. It was redder, gloopier. Was it….?

Sophia filed that thought into the increasing full filing cabinet in her head, and shrugged. 

“Honestly, at this point I’m not sure” she answered truthfully. 

“But you don’t think Rahim is the one for you?” asked Priya, trying to look nonchalantly at her nails. 

Sophia smiled “He’s all yours”.

Priya smiled and then walked out of the changing room. The other girls followed until it was just Sophia and Lottie left. Sophia took a slow, deep breath. Aware that things were about to get difficult.

“Can we talk”? The question came from Lottie, but Sophia knew that it was rhetorical. She nodded her head and sat down on a nearby stool, braced for the difficult conversation she knew was on the horizon. Lottie surprised her by falling to the floor in a movement that could only be described as a flop. She looked suddenly vulnerable as she sat with her legs crossed, one hand nervously playing with her hair, the other tapping on her knee. The whole image was very un...Lottie.

“Uh, thanks” Lottie spoke, looking up and into Sophia’s eyes. “So I’ve been wanting to talk to you about the next recoupling and...Gary”.

Sophia responded “I guessed”. She kept her voice calm, reminding herself for the millionth time that she was hardly one to talk when it came to confused emotions and mutual attraction.

“Well, I think there’s something there between us. Actually, I know there is”.

Sophia’s eyebrows shot up, she couldn’t help snapping “How?”

Lottie looked back at the ground. “We’ve, uh, done stuff. There’s a chemistry there. An energy. I want to pick him at the recoupling”. She looked up at Sophia again, her forehead knitted into a concerned frown. “But I need to know that you won’t pick him first. Sophia… he’s clearly in lust with you but let me and him see what we have. Please”.

Sophia was about to answer but then Lottie added “And you’ve got this thing with Bobby to work through. You need to be fair to both of them. It’s not ok to string them along. Bobby is one of the kindest guys I’ve ever met...try not to be selfish. Think of his feelings”.

That last comment cut through Sophia’s chest like a burning stake. The pain it left was raw and she felt her cheeks flush and tears sting her eyes.

She knew the hurt was dripping from her voice as she found the words she needed to respond, but first she slid down onto the floor, sitting opposite Lottie and wanting to look her in the face as she spoke.

“Lottie, I need you to know that I like Gary. A lot. And I’m hurt to hear that things have been happening between you, and I definitely don’t want to know the details. I want to understand what is there between us as well. We’ve hardly had a chance to explore it. But…”

She sighed

“...you're right. My head is a mess and I owe it to everyone to sort it out. And if there’s something between you and Gary, and he wants to explore that, it would be unfair of me to choose him if I get to pick first. I want him because he wants to be with me...”

She had a flash of a memory, being carried into the bedroom. The feel of him, his warmth. His vulnerability when he’d asked if they could make it work. 

But she shook her head. That was then, and this was now. Things change. Feelings seem to change at lightning speed in this mansion. 

And so she said the words that made the raw wound still left in her chest by Lottie’s words close up, her chest tightening until she wanted to run outside and breathe fresh air.

“I won’t pick him. I promise. He’s all yours.

Lottie smiled, relief plastered over her face. 

“Thank you Sophia! You’re the best! The tea leaves did show me that I would be granted my wish by a magical being, and I guess that’s you!”

“I’m definitely not magical, Lottie, I wouldn’t be so confused if I was”.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that” Lottie responded, standing up and offering her hands to Sophia to help her to her feet.

Sophia took the offer of help. 

“Shall we go outside and see what the night holds for us?” Lottie asked.

“Sure” was all Sophia could manage. Her heart felt like it had just experienced a huge loss, like someone had attached a piece of thread to it and was tugging at it, pulling it tightly. She had never felt the instant fire she’d had with Gary with another man before her time on the island, she was sure of that. 

But then there was Bobby. Beautiful, sweet, kind Bobby, who made her heart flutter and her mouth smile. She knew the pain of losing him would be just as great at this moment. She hadn’t treated him well, she knew that, and it was time to make that up to him, even if only through friendship, if that was all they were. 

They hadn’t made it downstairs before Lottie’s phone screamed.

Lottie ran down the stairs two at a time, and into the garden. “Guys! I got a text”.

Everyone gathered around, and Sophia found herself standing next to Gary, their hands almost brushing. It was the closest they had been for ages, and she was sure she could feel the magnetic pull between them. 

Lottie began reading “Islanders, before tonight’s recoupling the girls will have a chance to get to know the boys better, Each girl will take a boy of her choice out on a date”. 

Sophia was sure she could feel Gary’s posture stiffen next to her, but she knew what she had to do. She thought back to the resolution she’d made only moments.

When her phone screamed and announced she was the first to pick which boy she wanted to take on the date there was only one name in her head.

“Bobby” she confirmed out loud to the group, not wanting to look at Gary. The look on Bobby’s face told her she’d made the right decision and he bounded up to her, kissing her on the cheek and taking her hand in his before leaning forward and whispering in her ear.

“Come on babe, lets go get dressed up and drink wine in the nighttime”.

Sophia’s stomach flipped at the thought of spending some quiet time with him. But what would the date be? Everything she’d seen of this tiny island suggested it wasn’t exactly a thriving metropolis of romantic restaurants. And it was dark...and kinda cold. She parked the nervous voice in her head as she ran inside to get ready

They wouldn’t make them do anything too terrifying for their date….would they?


	10. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Sophia and Bobby's first date...on a spooky island...in the dead of night.

Sophia climbed into the jeep, with Bobby following closely behind her and shutting the door. He was wearing jeans and a thin jumper. In the dim light it was difficult to tell if it was grey or lilac. Either way he looked gorgeous. After much deliberation and input from Priya, Sophia had settled for blue jeans and an off the shoulder jumper in a shade of brown the crew member who had helped her pick her outfit had assured her was ‘mocha’. The evening was the coldest yet, and the temptation to wear three layers had been strong. But as she turned and looked at Bobby, her body temperature suddenly seemed insignificant.

She took another moment to admire the boy sat beside her. He didn’t look like any man she’d met. He was handsome, his angular face and sharp jawline often hidden through his almost permanently smiling expression while amusing the other islanders. He had freckles that begged to be kissed and sparkling amber eyes that it was difficult to look away from. But it wasn’t those features that caused her breath to catch when she looked at him. It was more something that was just under the surface of him...the energy that she’d seen before seemed to reverberate through him, making him seem more...alive. 

Sophia imagined touching his skin and feeling that energy running through her. Without realising what she was doing, she found that she had linked her fingers with his, still looking into his eyes. There was no electric shock when they touched, no painful coursing of energy through her veins. Instead, there was the smooth warm skin and gentle tingle she’d felt before. It was an entirely beautiful feeling and she felt instantly at peace in the same way she had so many times with this boy.

She had hardly had time to ask “Where do you think we’re going?” before the jeep came to an abrupt halt. 

But they’d hardly been in there for two minutes...where could they…

Oh no.

No no no.

Sophia looked out of the window and saw the forest looming right in front of them. The beam of light from the jeep did little to hide the overwhelming darkness of the mass of trees in front of them.

She looked at Bobby, panic written all over her face.

“Bobby...I...can’t go in there” she whispered, her voice hoarse with the effort of speaking through the terror that was bubbling up into her throat. 

“No, but we can Sophia. I’m here with you. I go in there every day. I’ll keep you safe…

...actually...scratch that. You don’t need me to keep you safe. But you’ll be fine. We’ll be fine”.

Sophia stretched a shaking hand up to open the jeep door. Hoping that she was wrong and there would be a romantic gazebo set up just out of eye sight. What kind of date could happen in a forest in the dead of night anyway?

But as Bobby slid off his seat and ran around to stand next to her, the driver leaned out of the window to speak. 

“Go through that opening there and follow the torches. They’ll lead you to the date. There’s no film crew who are prepared to go in there at night. Uh, I mean...no film crew available tonight...because of all the dates, you know, so they’ve set up night vision cameras, so it’s just you two in there. Have fun! I’ll be back at 4am to pick you up, so just keep an eye on the time and follow the torches back”.

And without even closing the window back up he was reversing backwards, did a U turn so dramatic the wheels span on the gravel underneath the car, and then drove back towards the villa.

For the first time since setting foot on the island, Sophia truly regretted her decision to be here. She didn’t go in forests at home. They terrified her for reasons she didn’t know or understand. But this forest was just so much worse. And dark. And...noisey. The trees still creaking and seeming to rustle their leaves...in excitement? 

Bobby, clearly sensing the fear that was running through her at that moment turned to face her, and gently rested his hands on her shoulders. 

He looked deep into her eyes, any sense of his usual humour missing from his features, instead replaced by a calm but serious expression. 

“Sophia...the way I see it we have three options here, and I completely support any of them. We could just hang around out here and talk. I’m ok with that. I want to know you better, and any quiet time to do that is fine. Or we can walk back to the mansion...it’s not exactly far” he shrugged in the direction of the mansion which could be seen in the distance. “Or we go in there and see what date they created for us. I think I know of a way we can get to the date with the minimum amount of terror, but you’re going to have to trust me”. 

Sophia felt the sting of tears threatening to fill her eyes. But they weren’t tears of terror or sadness. She found herself full of so many emotions as she stood looking into Bobby’s eyes. Happiness, intrigue, excitement, nervousness, confusion. Guilt. Too much to process. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and found a sense of calm wash over her, the inner swirl of emotions growing quiet. She realised the trees had also grown still and quiet and as she opened her eyes again she looked up at the sky and noticed the stars twinkling above them. At once this didn’t seem so scary. It seemed beautiful. 

She looked back into the eyes that were still watching her intently. “Let’s do this Bobby. Plan 3...whatever that is. I trust you”.

He beamed, the seriousness of his expression broken. “Ok, I didn’t want to persuade you but I’m so happy you’ve chosen plan 3 because I think you’re going to kind of love it”. He took a step back. “This is going to sound weird but I’m going to need you to turn your back on me and walk a few yards over there. I’ll be here the whole time. I’ve got you, I promise. But there’s something I need to do and I need to do it without you seeing me. I’m also going to need you to carry something for me...I’ll show you what it is in a minute”.

Sophia looked at him, her stomach flipping again at the thought of moving away from him, but she knew she wanted to experience this with him. She nodded and turned away from him, walking a few yards away. She played with the cuff of her jumper, picking at the fabric nervously as she waited. She heard the sound of a belt unbuckle and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He was going to shift. But into what? A horse maybe? A few moments later a loud nose that was unlike anything she’d heard before broke into her thoughts. It was the sound of crunching, breaking. But it lasted for a second, and before she could turn around to see if Bobby was ok she heard the sound of padding paws, and felt warm breath on her shoulders. She turned to find the largest bear she could have ever imagined looking at her, carrying Bobby’s clothes and shoes in its mouth. The gentle amber eyes that looked at her left her in absolutely no doubt about who stood in front of her. 

“Bobby” she gasped. The bear nuzzled it’s head on her arm and dropped the clothes and shoes at her feet. 

She couldn’t help but laugh. The craziness of the situation eclipsed by the sense of wonder at how this giant creature had been Bobby moments before. “So that’s what you want me to carry?” she asked “And what if I don’t? Naked date?” 

The bear let out a low growl, that sounded more like a chuckle. Sophia bent down and gathered the discarded garments into her arms.

So now what, she wondered. But she didn’t need to. Bobby clearly had this planned. He crouched down and nodded his head back. Sophia’s eyes were wide as she realised what he wanted her to do. She was small, she knew that, but him baring her weight just didn’t seem ok. But a low growl let her know that it wasn’t up for discussion and so she climbed up on his back. Bobby stood up on his four strong paws. Sophia clutched his clothes towards her in one arm, and used the other to hook around his neck, leaning forward. He still smelt like..him. Warm, spicy.

He slowly started to pad towards the forest and Sophia felt the rush of panic return as she saw the trees approaching, the dark chasm within them looking like it was waiting to devour them. She closed her eyes and leaned further forward, resting her cheek on the brown fur that was surely softer than any bear had any right to be.

Sophia whispered “Let’s do this”. 

With no need for any further instruction she felt the wind in her hair as they ran into the forest, and continued for what seemed like an eternity. Although he seemed to be moving at speed, his weight under her was strong and stable and she didn’t feel like there was any risk of falling. She knew the biggest risk was that she would open her eyes and find herself in the middle of a forest. A risk that was seeming very likely right now. 

Eventually they came to a standstill, and she felt herself being lowered to the ground. With a deep breath she opened one eye and looked around. 

They were in an opening in the forest. A blanket had been laid on the ground, with a bottle of something in a bucket and a basket that presumably contained food. In more surroundings it would be romantic, but in here, in the darkness, it didn’t provide much comfort. Four torches were lit around the blanket and they cast a slight glow, but it wasn’t enough to combat the darkness around them.

But they were here. They’d made it. Sophia was aware it might also be the best opportunity for peace and quiet they would have for weeks and she didn’t want to waste it. She climbed off, and laid the clothes down carefully on the ground. She nodded at Bobby “I’ll wait for you over there. I’m ok. Thank you”. 

Sophia walked over to the blanket and sat down, her legs feeling like they didn’t want to hold her up. 

She looked around her, trying to focus on the light, but the darkness was too much. Too overwhelming.

She squeezed her eyes shut and imagined she was sat at home, on her sofa, watching Ghoul Island on the TV and wondering what the hell the crazy human girl thought she was doing when she agreed to be on the show. She imagined bright light surrounding her. She heard footsteps and knew they were Bobby, feeling the air move as he walked around and then sat in front of her.

“I think you can open your eyes Lass” a soft Scottish accent that could only belong to one person said. Sophia opened her eyes and looked into the face in front of her. It was lit by more than the torches, a thousand fairly lights sparkling in his eyes, that were watching her carefully. Sophia looked around and gasped when she realised that they were surrounded by hundreds of glowing lights. Glowing insects she assumed. They were beautiful, stretching as far as she could see in every direction. A million stars fallen from the sky to keep them company.

She looked back at Bobby, who somehow wasn’t looking at the beauty around them, and instead was still studying her face with his eyes. “Bobby, is this you? Did you do this? They weren’t here before…”

Bobby shrugged and didn’t break his stare. “It’s not me”.

“The production team?...How would they even…?” Sophia continued. 

“Magic” Bobby said, his face breaking into a grin that warmed every part of her being.

“Speaking of magic” he continued “how was your journey?”

Sophia smiled, his grin was as contagious as ever. “I hadn’t intended on the first time I rode you to be so...furry” she responded with a raised eyebrow. She could see him blush, but his smile widened. 

“I’ll get out the Veet strips next time, promise” he responded. “Hmmm” he continued as he opened the basket that was beside them and rummaged inside. “Music!” he exclaimed in happiness, taking a wireless speaker and phone out of the basket. “Let’s see if this works in here”.

Sophia watched as he intently turned the devices on and started scrolling, presumably trying to decide what music to play. “Ha! The Twilight soundtrack!” he exclaimed “Someone has a sense of humour. Let's keep looking”. Noah’s face floated into view for a second at the mention of Twilight, and the memory of their conversation, but it disappeared just as quickly as the first notes of music started playing. A beautiful voice that Sophia recognised but couldn’t name began singing softly.

Oh, to see without my eyes  
The first time that you kissed me  
Boundless by the time I cried  
I built your walls around me

Bobby placed the phone down and moved to the bottle in the bucket, which, on closer inspection, was a bottle of Prosecco. Bobby confidently uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses, handing one to Sophia, which she gratefully took. Bobby began buying himself in the basket again and Sophia realised that he was nervous. Somehow this magical boy who could turn into a bear and make her feel safer and calmer than anyone in her entire life was nervous in her company.

She reached into the basket and took his hand softly, encouraging it out. Her fingers linked comfortably with his in a position that had started to feel so natural for them, and raised her glass, looking into his eyes, a soft smile playing on her lips. 

“To our first date. And to the realisation of my childhood dream to meet Paddington Bear”

Bobby burst out laughing and clinked his glass to hers. “To our first date” he echoed. “And I’m more of a honey than a marmalade kind of bear”.

Sophia sipped her drink, the bubbles settling pleasingly on her tongue. She knew what she wanted this night to be. 

“Bobby….let’s talk”

“About...the music of Cardi B? The true horrors of pre-packaged cake icing?” he asked

“About you” she responded, looking down at their still linked hands “I want to know who you are”

“Ask away” he responded. “For you I’m an open book”.

And so they talked, lying on a blanket in the middle of the forest, with no noise other than the gentle music and their low voices as they explored each other’s lives. Sophia learned that Bobby’s mum was the shifter of the family. Noone knew where her power to shift came from but her parents had been scared of her ability, convinced that it meant that she was cursed. She’d left home at sixteen and found a group of other shifters who survived through stalking the streets at night and stealing food as a pack of dogs. It had been on one of her nighttime excursions when she’d found a tall Scottish man with blonde hair, blue eyes and a huge beard in trouble with a local gang. He’d stumbled into an area that no tourist should be in and the gang had decided to teach him that. But they hadn’t counted on meeting a mountain lion and had quickly dispersed. 

They’d fallen in love within a week and decided to make Scotland their home, and that was how Bobby and his sister came to be. 

It was the weirdest and yet most magical origin story Sophia had ever heard and as she propped herself up on her elbow, looking down at him as he talked she felt her heart filling with a warm happiness she wasn’t sure she’d ever truly felt before. The mansion, the challenges, the other islanders, suddenly seemed a million miles away. Perhaps they didn’t really exist, and all that was real was here, on this blanket. 

Sophia leaned down and kissed Bobby gently. She did it without thought, and it was the sweetest kiss of her entire life. He responded gently, his hand reaching up to hold her face, thumb stroking her cheek lightly. His tongue gently exploring her mouth. He tasted of Prosecco, and the taste mixed with the woody smell of the forest and the feel of his hand on her face was almost too much for her senses. The kiss was different to the one they’d shared by the hell pit. It seemed more relaxed. Natural. Like there was nothing else they should be doing in that moment.

They broke apart and resumed talking about their lives, stopping every now and then to return to kissing. It was sweet. Unpressured. Sophia learned that shifting didn’t hurt, although it apparently looked quite horrifying, which was why Bobby had asked her not to look. Bobby’s lifelong dream was to run a bakery attached to a wildlife sanctuary where people from the community could come and spend time eating delicious food and watching the wildlife around them. It was a wholly beautiful image and Sophia knew he’d realise it when he left the show. How could any investors refuse that vision. Sophia felt empty in comparison. Her life had been comparatively boring. Growing up in the same small seaside village all her life. Bouncing between different jobs and relationships in an attempt to find something she felt like she should be. Someone she belonged with. 

“Sophia you are so far from boring. I’ve never met anyone I wanted to spend time with as much as I do with you. You’re beautiful and intriguing and funny and kind and…”

But he didn’t finish the sentence, instead sitting up to kiss her fully, the softness of the earlier kiss replaced by a different energy. Their bodies moved and switched positions without breaking the kiss. Sophia laid down slowly, with Bobby’s hand resting on the back of her head and guiding it slowly to the ground. His mouth broke from hers and moved to her neck, placing kissed down her throat and along her exposed shoulder. She thought she heard him softly whisper her name but wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it, and he certainly wasn’t trying to speak as he pressed his soft lips to her mouth again, their tongues slowly exploring each other. Feeling and tasting delicious. 

He moved his hand out from under her and placed it gently on her stomach, which was still covered by the jumper. Any earlier concerns Sophia may have had about being cold were long gone. They were the worries of a different person, in a different time and she reached down and guided his hand under the jumper and onto the bare skin of her stomach instead. The electricity that flowed through his fingertips and into her skin made her skirm on the rug slightly and Bobby slowly trailed his fingers up her stomach and rested them on the centre of her chest for a moment, taking time to trail light kisses from her mouth up to her ear.

“I have another talent to add to the list...I think it should go before shifting and baking really” he murmured into her ear, his breath tickling her hair and causing a shiver of pleasure to run down her spine. 

The voice of worry that had been so blissfully quiet for the past hour or so was starting to make itself known again. If she let things go further with Bobby then she was either saying things were definitely over with Gary, or she was saying she was comfortable leading Bobby on and hurting him. She wasn’t sure she could absolutely commit to the former, and she would rather leave the island this second than do the latter.

“Bobby I still don’t know where my head is at...not absolutely. I don’t want to hurt you” she almost whispered. Her body was screaming at her to reach out and grab him, pull him back towards her and let his hands and mouth travel and explore every curve of her body. A fantasy of sitting under a tree with Bobby in the summer sun while he slowly ran his tongue up her thigh until his mouth was at her most sensitive spot suddenly flashed into her head. She flushed and her eyes shot open. It felt more like a memory than a fantasy and she searched his eyes for some answer to what was happening between them.

Bobby’s forefinger was slowly trailing circles on her chest, his hand and wrist lightly grazing against her breasts as he moved. It was a small, light and gentle movement but it somehow heightened the sensations of every part of her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead before speaking quietly.

“Sophia...it isn’t easy for me to have relationships with girls that are more than friendships. I don’t put my heart out there often. Partly because I don’t want to get rejected when a girl finds out what I am...but even worse...getting rejected because of who I am”. He slowly moved his hand back down her body and placed the palm on top of her jumper again before taking a measured breath to gather his words, and continuing.

“I get messed around by girls a lot. I don’t know what it is I give off...maybe that I’m the funny guy who doesn’t take anything seriously. A play thing that can be discarded when a real man turns up. But I do take things seriously, I just hide behind the faces of so many creatures. Even when I’m myself I hide behind jokes and pranks”.

He paused to gather his thoughts and Sophia found herself sitting up and staring at him. Processing everything he’d just said. He sat fully upright too and they say quietly for a moment. Sophia’s phone suddenly screamed and she cursed before reaching into her pocket and reading the message. “We’ve got fifteen minutes until our lift back arrives apparently”. Bobby’s face fell slightly. She knew he didn’t want to leave it like this, and she didn’t either. There was so much more that she needed to say to him, to explain to him. But she knew the most important thing he needed to hear.

“Bobby, you should never be discarded. You are absolutely a real man. One of the strongest, kindest and bravest men I’ve met. I care about you a lot. I think I cared about you from that first night when we watched the sunset. I…” she reached up and brushed a dreadlock to one side that had fallen across his forehead “...I want to spend time with you and find out what this is. But I don’t want to hurt you if this doesn’t work out. I’ve never wanted to be sure about something so desperately in my life. So how about I chose you at the recoupling if no one else gets there first and we keep exploring this, but we keep it light for now”.

Bobby smiled slightly and nodded “I get you. So we spend some more time together. See where this goes. I’m ok with that. But you definitely don’t get to sample my third talent until you’re sure”.

Sophia laughed despite herself. “Damn Bobby, not even a taster?” and then her face was serious again “If you change your mind and don’t want to spend time with me at any stage. If your dream girl walks in and sweeps you off your feet then that’s completely ok”. 

He just nodded, clearly not wanting to comment on the likelihood of that happening. 

She reached up and stroked the back of her fingers along his cheekbone. “This has been my all time favourite date. I need you to know that. And that wasn’t because of the setting. It was in spite of it. It was because of you”.

He smiled and reached up to place his hand over hers, which was now resting on the side of his face. “Right back at you”. He gently lifted her hand off his face and moved it to his mouth, lightly kissing the palm.

“So I guess we need to head back. Want to travel on the Bear Express again?”

Sophia smiled and shook her head “No, let’s do this as us. How hard can it be?”

And so they packed up, realising they hadn’t even touched the food in the basket. As Sophia stood up she shivered, the cold night finally taking its toll. Bobby shook out the blanket that he’d just folded up and wrapped the bright red fabric around her shoulders before putting his arm around her, the other carrying the basket.

“Come on then Little Red Riding Hood. Let’s get you back to Grandma’s house and keep you safe from the big bad wolf”. Sophia looked at him and raised an eyebrow, wondering if that was a dig at Gary. If it was Bobby didn’t show it. Instead, he started melodically whistling the first song they’d listened to. 

And so they walked back through the forest, to the opening and back into the safety of the jeep. Sophia had been so absorbed in her thoughts, and playing out what was going to happen next that she hadn’t noticed the trail of tiny floating lights that followed them, lighting their way until they left the forest. 

As the jeep drove off the lights slowly dispersed. The tiny beings returning to their nocturnal activity. But they’d be there to light the way if she returned.

Or more likely when she returned.


	11. Sophia's Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophia and Bobby are back from their date...and it's time for the girl's choice recoupling. But will she pick the kind shapeshifter who she has just shared a magical experience with...or will the heat of the wolf boy win her heart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey - so I am so sorry for how long it's been since I wrote anything for Ghoul Island. A combination of things which I won't bore you with took over. But I'm back for some supernatural fun with our favourite islanders. This is just a short chapter to cover the 'girl's choice' recoupling...more excitement and twists and turns to come!

Sophia felt her stomach flip as the jeep quickly arrived back at the mansion. The two gargoyles that sat in the eaves of the imposing building seemed to be watching her as she walked slowly up the gravel path with Bobby, their grotesque faces leering and laughing at her. Presumably enjoying watching the silly human girl getting her head and heart bounced in a million different directions on an almost hourly basis.

She was confident in her decision to couple up with Bobby and to see what this thing between them was. Their date had been the most magical moment of her life and she knew with absolute certainty that it would hold a place in her heart and her dreams for as long as she breathed air into her lungs.

That didn’t stop the scratching at the back of her mind that she had other things to work through before she could commit to Bobby being her endgame. She laughed at herself as she had the thought. ‘Things’ to work through? The vaguest way of describing the whirl of emotions she was still feeling for Gary, despite how cold he’d been with her. And then there was Noah. If it wasn’t for the fact that Hope instilled a terror into her very core, would she have pursued something with him by now?

As they walked through the front entrance of the mansion Sophia was aware that she was still holding Bobby’s hand. It felt comfortable, and she had no desire to break contact, even as they walked through the imposing building and out into the garden.

“Hey Guys! Tell us all about it! What did you do? Is it love” Priya called out from the kitchen. Sophia looked over and laughed. 

“Are your gossip senses tingling by any chance, Priya?”.

“Just wondering if everyone had as great a time as we did” she responded coyly. Sophia looked at Rahim’s beaming face as he stood by Priya and felt a flutter of hope that something might be happening between them. Noah was also sat on a bar stool, Hope draped over him. The two of them were completely inseparable, and it was becoming increasingly boring to be around. 

Just as Sophia and Bobby happily perched themselves on the remaining two stools, she heard the sound of Lottie laughing.

“Oh Gary, honestly, I wouldn’t put up with those jokes from anyone else you know”.

So Lottie had chosen Gary for the date. It was no surprise, but the green-eyed monster that Sophia recently been sharing her head and heart with for the first time in her life raised its ugly little head and caused a sharp pang in her stomach. 

The group all gathered around and shared stories of their dates. Sophia and Bobby had kept fairly quiet, not wanting to share something that had been so magical and personal with the group. Seemingly unaware that it had been broadcast to millions. Noah had ended up stepping in when it seemed that the questioning about their date would never end. “Leave them be, everyone, it’s up to them what they share”.

Sophia nodded vehemently and looked around the group, her eyes catching Gary’s for a second. He was smiling, but something was flashing in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read. She gave up trying to decipher it when a shrieking text announced that it was time for the girls to get ready and then gather at the firepit to make their decision. A mix of excitement and dread filled her at that moment, but before she could get lost in her feelings, Priya had taken her hand and was leading her towards the mansion.

“C’mon girl, it’s time to make sure that we look so fire that we put the Hell Pit to shame”.

Sophia smiled and tried to settle the nerves that were bubbling away inside her. One of those terrifying looking cocktails from the first night would be great right about now. Anything to just quieten that scratching doubt in the back of her mind which was getting louder and more frantic with every footstep. Choosing her outfit and applying her make-up didn’t help, and as the room began to swim in a sea of chatter and coconut body spray, Sophia found herself staggering into the bathroom and leaning over the sink, staring at the reflection in front of her.

‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ she asked the face that was looking back at her. She laughed when she realised that for a moment she’d actually expected the reflection to answer back. The supernatural vibe of this place had definitely got to her. That, or a lack of sleep. 

She gave her head a tiny shake and then looked back in the mirror. “This is supposed to be fun. Fun. Remember that? And Bobby is an actual dream of a boy. Get over yourself and get out there”.

That worked. The scratching stopped, and she was able to walk back to the girls and then out towards the Hell Pitt feeling confident in her decision. As they all arrived at the Hell Pit she found that the nerves had still taken a leave of absence. Calm confidence filled her as she waited. 

Hope’s phone was the first to shriek, notifying her that she was picking first. Her pick was so obvious that there was barely a reaction when she spoke his name.

“Noah” she drawled, sounding almost bored with her own decision. He walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug, but as he did he caught Sophia’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but feel that he looked sad. 

“Interesting” Marisol whispered under her breath, clearly also seeing the look. But there was no time to muse on what it all meant because before she could even raise an eyebrow at him, her phone was shrieking and it was her turn. As she stood there, in front of everyone, she fixed her eyes on only one boy. The one who had protected her at every step. Helped her overcome her fear. The one who was mouthing ‘wow’ at her as she stood in front of him. 

“I want to choose this boy because he has been kind and loyal to me from the start”

A low growl started to her right. Right where the wolf boy was sat in fact. But she ignored the sound, unsure if it was real or just her imagination playing games with her. The scratching trying to break free again.

“I know that we’ll have a lot of fun, and I’m excited to see where this goes”

The growl stopped suddenly, like it was caught in the creator’s throat. 

“The boy I would like to couple up with is Bobby”

There was no noise, no growling, just silence, and the sight of Bobby running over to her and sweeping her into his arms, spinning her around, before taking her hand and walking back to the seat. 

Sophia felt calm for a moment. She’d made the right decision. Chasing after a boy who clearly had eyes for another was just a ticket to heartbreak, she knew that. Even if that boy did things to her that she had never felt before. 

Lottie’s phone was shrieking next. She positioned her body so she was facing Gary. Not that there had ever been any doubt that he would be her choice. 

“As the girls all know, Girl Code means everything to me…”

Sophia couldn’t help but drop her mouth in shock at this statement. After what she’d done? Really? She caught Marisol rolling her eyes, clearly also utterly exhausted with the hypocrisy. 

“Which is why this decision has been so tough”

Sophia allowed herself a glance at the boy her eyes had been trying so hard to avoid. Gary was sat looking at Lottie, a smile on his face, but it wasn’t a smile that he’d shared with her before. This one looked almost...forced. 

It didn’t look any more comfortable when Lottie continued “But I have to follow my heart. And the tea leaves. And they both seem to point in the same direction. Which is why the boy I want to couple up with is”

Sophia heard a slight growl, which was odd because it clearly wasn’t Gary this time. As Bobby squeezed her hand she realised with horror that the sound was coming from her.

“Gary”

The smile remained as he walked up to Lottie and draped an arm around her shoulders. 

“You ok?” Bobby squeezed her hand again and looked at her, a furrow of concern in between his eyebrows. 

“Uh yeah, fine, yeah. Oh look, it’s Priya next, I think our Zombie boy is about to be lucky.

As Priya spoke Rahim’s name, the look of happiness on his face was enough to silence all of the angst that was refusing to vacate her head. That left Marisol and Lucas, who made the most beautiful and intimidating couple by far. Sophia liked both of them, but there was a vampiric coldness to them which she didn’t feel with Noah.

Exhaustion suddenly swept over her, and she realised that morning must be approaching. The date suddenly felt like it had been a lifetime ago. The islanders all began walking back towards the mansion in their new couples. Bobby squeezed her hand “Thanks for picking me”

Sophia stopped walking and turned to him. “You don’t need to thank me Bobby, I should be thanking you. For everything. I still don’t know…” but the sentence caught in her throat as she looked into those amber eyes. 

He placed a finger to her lips. There was that warmth again. That energy. Like he was a thousand different living beings all wrapped up in one dreadlocked bundle. 

“Sophia, it’s fine, honestly. No pressure, we just see where this goes, yeah?”

Sophia smiled before gently kissing his cheek. “No pressure. Thank you”.

Sophia yawned, her exhaustion taking over. Before she knew what was happening, she was scooped up into his arms and was asleep before they even reached the bedroom. 

She was so tired she didn’t even wake to hear the sound of Noah and Hope being chosen to go into the Hideaway, or Lottie and Gary laughing and chatting under their sheets. Instead, all she heard were the sounds of her dreams...scratching, snarling and growling. Bear versus wolf. A terrifying blur of fur and teeth consuming her until she woke up screaming.


	12. Operation Not a Hope in Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night starts so well...some time with Bobby in the shower...what more could a girl ask for? But then Operation Nope rears its ugly head and things start to get confusing again...will the rollercoaster of supernatural boys ever end for Sophia?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised - this is the first full new chapter, after yesterday's little taster - I really hope you enjoy it. We're getting closer to finding out more about Sophia's background...and just what kind of supernatural being Hope is...although keep the guesses coming - I love reading your comments x

As she opened her eyes, Sophia realised that it had been the best sleep she’d had since arriving on the island. The dreams she’d had were now nothing more than a hazy blur, and for the first time in days, ten to be precise, she felt rested and awake. Maybe her body was getting used to the nocturnal pattern, or maybe she had just been that exhausted. Or maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the shifter boy who had cocooned her body with his, radiating warmth and comfort. 

“Good morning” he murmured, and she could feel his breath tickling the back of her neck. She pushed her body back against him, enjoying how he felt wrapped around her and linked her fingers through the hand that was draped over her, before replying with a small “Hey”. 

“How are you feeling about...things...this morning?” he asked. The attempt to keep his voice light was very noticeable.

“Good. Great actually. Like I made the right decision. How about you? How are you feeling today?”

He returned to nuzzling the back of her neck. It sent tingles running through her body and she wriggled even closer into his embrace, until every possible part of their bodies were touching. 

“I’m also feeling pretty good right now” he murmured, and she felt a tongue lightly tracing down the back of her neck. “Like things might be about to work out ok, you know?”

Sophia smiled as an idea landed into her head, driven there entirely by the electricity this boy was making her feel in every part of her body. 

“Hmm...I’ve got an idea that would probably make us feel even better”

“Oh?” Bobby retracted slightly and Sophia used the space to turn around and face him. Her breath was caught by how beautiful he looked in that moment. A dreadlock falling across his forehead, cheeks slightly flushed and eyes sparkling with intrigue. 

“Well...we need to start getting ready for the night. And really, if you think about it...it might just be more time-efficient for us to do that together..you know...in the shower”.

Bobby grinned. “Saving water, saving the planet, right?”

Sophia nodded vehemently “Exactly”

Bobby bit his lip “I mean...everyone will start waking up soon. I think some people are up already...we’ll probably get caught”

Sophia shrugged slightly in response “I don’t care if you don’t care. I think it’s time we had some fun”.

Without a need for any further persuasion, Bobby threw back the duvet cover and led the way to the bathroom. Sophia giggled inwardly as the two of them tiptoed through the sleeping supernaturals. This was the kind of fun she’d been expecting from her reality TV experience. Maybe this was it from now on - no more angst, no more doubts. Just happy times with her Glaswegian shifter boy. 

As they got into the shower and turned the water on, still wearing the underwear they’d slept in, the shower screen hadn’t even had a chance to become masked with condensation before she found herself pressed against him, reaching up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her. Their mouths met, and the softness that had been there before was replaced by a hunger, as they explored each other. Bobby moaned slightly and the sound, coupled with the vibration on her lips just made her hungrier for him. He murmured a word into her mouth which she couldn’t make out, and so she broke their kiss, looking up at him quizzically. 

“Soap” he repeated. 

“Really Bobby, you’re thinking of the practicalities of the shower right now” she asked, but was grinning at him, her hands still resting on the back of his neck.

“Well...if anyone catches us we might as well at least pretend that’s what we’re doing. Wait here”

“Really not going anywhere” she responded as she watched him hop out of the shower, padding wet footprints across the floor as he walked over to a wash bag and began rummaging. It was impossible to stop watching him as the water glistened on his skin and his boxer trunks, which were now soaking wet, clung to every part of him beautifully. He came back with a small bottle of shower gel, which he proudly presented to her. It had a little picture of a papaya on the front.   
He grinned at her “It’s my favourite. Not an obvious choice I know...but every shower is like a little trip to a tropical island”.

He stepped back again and scanned Sophia’s body. The shyness she’d seen in him before had disappeared in that moment, and he seemed more sure of himself, confident in the private space they now had. 

“Hmm...we need to get back to the others soon...so perhaps I should help you get ready?”

Sophia bit her lip and nodded, finding that the look in his eyes had taken away any words she might have had in that moment. He stepped forward again and slowly bent his head to run his tongue slowly along her collar bone. That one movement made her legs feel like they were jelly, and he reached an arm around her, holding the small of her back and giving her the strength she needed to keep standing.

His tongue had reached her bra strap and he tugged on it lightly. “Hmm...you’re not going to be able to get clean if you’re still wearing this.”

“True” Sophia replied. One word was all she could manage, but it was enough, and he slowly slid her bra straps off and reached around to undo the clasp with a smoothness that she hadn’t credited him with before. He’d placed the shower gel bottle on the floor and he slowly reached down to retrieve it, running a hand down her stomach as he crouched down. As he moved back up his hand was replaced by a tongue which traced a pattern up her stomach. He stopped as he reached the curve of her breasts and instead poured some of the gel into the palm of his hand. After rubbing his hands together he began running them over her shoulders and down her arms. He was quietly watching her while he did this, and Sophia found herself caught in his gaze, unable to look away even though she was fighting the urge to close her eyes and throw her head back, giving into the sensation of the water running over her combined with Bobby’s hands working lightly over her skin.

As they moved to her breasts and cupped them, still smoothing the papaya bubbles over her skin, his thumbs lightly grazing over her nipples, she couldn’t hold back the moan that had been building up inside her. She broke the intensity of their gaze, but only so she could kiss him deeply, pushing him back against the tiled wall of the shower. As she pressed her body against him she knew she wanted him inside her. She worked her hand over his body, enjoying the feeling of his smooth chest under her fingertips. As they trailed down to his underwear and played with the band, he pulled back from the kiss and smiled at her. 

“Oh? Now this really is the best way to start every day”

Sophia was about to respond with a cheesy comment about getting dirty to get clean when a sound behind them interrupted them. It was a snarl. Animalistic. The bathroom door slammed shut, although they hadn’t heard it open, and it was enough to break the moment. 

The moment was lost further when a gentle knock on the door could be heard and then Noah’s voice softly calling though the door. 

“Uh...guys...sorry to ruin your fun but there’s kind of a queue forming out here for the shower”.

Sophia snapped her hands away from the waistband and stepped back slightly, with a sigh. But Bobby was still smiling, his eyes still glimmering with mischief. “Until next time?”

Sophia sighed. “Yeah, next time”. 

Bobby looked back at the closed door “Hmm...although there’s one part I didn’t get to”

“Give us a minute” he called to the door...and presumably the queue of annoyed islanders “Sophia’s just washing her hair”

Sophia looked up at him quizzically. “My hair doesn’t need wash….oh”. She stopped herself when she realised it wasn’t her hair he had in mind, as his tongue traced down her neck, her chest, her stomach and then pressed against the panties she was still wearing. Her legs felt weak again, but she took hold of the shower handle, which turned out to be a smart move, as Bobby began remove her panties and knelt down on both knees, hooking her leg up into the crook of one arm, spreading her legs slightly and then put his tongue back to its starting position, but this time with no fabric barrier, and he began licking and sucking lightly spreading fire through the core of her being. 

“Oh...my…” was all Sophia could manage as she grabbed the handle tighter. He was so...good at this. He became a different person in that moment. No longer the funny boy who spent his time entertaining others with his animal adventures. Not just the caring and kind boy. Right now he was the boy making her whole body feel like it was about to burst into flames. The heat building between her legs, and the intensity of standing on one leg, the water still beating down on her was too much, and the moan that had been building inside her escaped, loudly, with little care for the supernatural ears that were surely on the other side of the door. Bobby’s free hand reached up and linked fingers with hers, and she squeezed it hard as his tongue began moving against her with more intensity, stopping occasionally to flick her where she wanted him the most, before returning to licking. It didn’t take long until the fire through her body worked itself into a ball where Bobby was, and she grasped his hand and the rail harder as the build up exploded within her, sending her over the edge. With her head thrown back, and her hips bucking, pushing against his mouth as she came, she managed two words, the first escaping in a cry and the second quieter, gasping, in awe of what her body had just felt. .

“Fuck….

...Bobby”

He kissed her inner thigh before guiding her leg back down and smiled up at her.

Her legs were shaking and she suddenly felt like all of the energy had left her body. She knelt down, facing Bobby, and cupped his head in her hands before trying to string more than two words together.

“You. Are. Amazing”. 

She laughed.

“I mean..those skills? More impressive than the whole being a bear thing...seriously”

Bobby laughed, his eyes sparkling, clearly happy with how he’d made her feel. “Yeah...that’s my super secret talent I reserve for special occasions”

But a hammer on the door and a call of “Ok guys, you’re starting to take the piss now” in a gruff voice that could only belong to Gary broke their moment one last time.

They finished getting showered and Sophia made her way to the dressing room. Thankfully there hadn’t been a queue outside the bathroom door, but Marisol was in the dressing room, and Sophia found herself blushing as she wondered how much everyone had just heard. 

“Good evening Sophia. I like a girl who knows the right way to start a day” Marisol greeted Sophia as she started working through the rack of clothes to pick an outfit for the night. 

“Hey Marisol. How are things with you and Lucas?” Sophia asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

“Oh they’re good. He’s quite the vampire. I normally like my lovers a little more...fleshy...but as far as the undead go, he’s a good specimen”.

She inspected her nails as she continued “I’m not sure everyone is as happy in their couples though. I mean you and Bobby are clearing getting on well...but others? Not so much”

Sophia asked the next question in spite of her better instincts. She knew this was gossip, and nothing good would come from it.

“Oh really? Who?”

Marisol picked up a nail file and started shaping the already pointed red talons that made Sophia uncomfortable for reasons she didn’t want to think about.

“Oh Gary. I don’t think he’s happy. Lottie is very...intense. I think at his heart he just wants a laid back partner and to have some fun. Although his behaviour so far hasn’t really reflected that, has it? Strange. I wonder what’s causing him to act to strangely”

She raised an eyebrow and looked up at Sophia, who knew that this was a trap and it wasn’t one she was willing to step into. Luckily some footsteps behind told her that she’d been saved. Unfortunately they belonged to Lottie, and Sophia sensed the drama had only just begun.

“Oh, Sophia, hi.” Lottie looked almost nervous as she spoke. “Marisol, would you mind giving Sophia and I some space to talk”

Marisol dropped the nail file and walked to the door, her hips sashaying from side to side in her black leather pencil skirt. “With pleasure” she responded, and with a flick of her hair she was gone. 

“How are things Sophia?” but she continued talking in a way that suggested no response was needed “I wondered if we could talk about you and Gary, well...and you and Bobby. Because you and Bobby seem great, so I’m guessing there aren’t any feelings there anymore, right, you know, for my, for Gary?”

Sophia sighed. She didn’t have the energy or inclination to lie in this moment. It was all too confusing and messy. “Honestly, Lottie, I don’t know how I feel about Gary. That original connection between us wasn’t something I’ve ever felt before. I don’t even know what it was to be honest, but the fire that was there is still part of me. I can’t just extinguish it. I’m giving you guys the space to find out what’s between you, I told you I’d do that, but I can’t promise what is or isn’t going to happen next, because really, it depends on lots of different people, not just me”.

“So basically you’re playing with Bobby? Killing time with him until you’ve won Gary back? How could you do that to him? He’s an amazing guy. Wow. What kind of monster are you Sophia?”

That was a kick to the stomach but before she could even explain herself, Lottie had spun on her heels and left the room. Sophia shook her head, trying to shake off the words. Bobby knew what this was, didn’t he? They were having fun, right? 

She browsed the racks of dresses and found she didn’t have the energy for anything glam. She picked black jeans and a black hoodie. The producers probably wouldn’t be happy with her, but she was craving comfort. Plus it was damn cold on this island, and she was done with doing things to please others. 

She caught up with Bobby who was still grinning and wrapped her in a hug as he murmured “You look beautiful” in her ear. They made their way through the mansion and found that Noah was already outside when they walked over to the kitchen, and he smiled when they approached.

“Hey. Sorry for uh..interrupting earlier...it was all getting a bit tense. Gary was desperate for a shower...Lottie was getting all annoyed with him because she thought he was jealous. Then Hope started complaining and honestly...she’s uh...difficult when she’s feeling impatient”

Bobby put a hand on Noah’s shoulder “Sorry if we caused trouble mate, just caught up in the moment, you know how it is”

Noah laughed but had a sadness in his eyes which Sophia couldn’t quite identify “Sure”.

The early evening was peaceful. Bobby and Gary were chatting and sharing stories of impromptu changes into their animal counterparts, and the places they’d found themselves without clothes. Bobby’s story of shifting back into his human form in a Nando’s toilet, without a stitch of clothing, had the group roaring with laughter, particularly when he modelled the napkin skirt he’d fashioned for himself. 

It was nice to see Gary relaxed again, and Sophia found herself watching him as he chatted with Bobby. She couldn’t work him out. Although she still wasn’t sure she fully understood what was going on in Bobby’s head either. Apparently supernatural boys weren’t any easier to understand than the human boys she’d left behind. It was weird to think back to her ‘normal’ life. She had a feeling she’d never be able to return to that life again. She shuddered slightly, not knowing what the cause was, and the leaves of the plants around them all rustled in unison. Weird. Must have been a breeze.

After everyone had eaten breakfast (could it even be called that at 8pm?) they all dispersed and Sophia used it to get some quiet time by the pool, watching the reflection of the moonlight on the water. Her quiet reflection was broken by the shrieking of Hope’s phone, followed by Hope loudly announcing from the middle of the lawn “I’ve got a text!”.

She continued to read “Islanders, tonight the Villa will be hosting a Monstrosity of Sound Party. Make sure you dress to impress!”

Sophia looked around the group as they were whooping with excitement. “Monstrosity….of Sound?”

“It’s the best Supernatural nightclub in the world. Seriously. Is the place to be for anyone who has something special about them. I guess that’s why you haven’t heard of it” Hope explained, shrugging. 

Sophia chose to ignore the dig, and instead felt the relief that this text didn’t seem to be bringing any more drama with it. As she settled back down to relax she heard her name being called from the night beds. She looked over and saw Bobby, Priya and Rahim waving her over. 

She walked over, assuming they’d be talking about the party, but found as she sat and snuggled up to Bobby, that the conversation was sadly far more drama-filled than that. 

“Hey babe” Priya greeted her “So we were talking”

“No...they were talking” Rahim interrupted, a slightly forlorn look on his face.

“Ok, Bobby and I were talking about Hope and Noah and how weird it is that they got so serious so quickly. We know that Noah isn’t Hope’s normal type, so it just doesn’t feel real, you know? Like its a performance or something”

“Yeah” Bobby continued “and honestly, I’m worried about my boy Noah. He doesn’t seem happy. It’s like she’s trapped him. Which I’d understand if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s a vampire, so shouldn’t be able to be manipulated like that. What do you think Sophia?” 

“Uh, yeah. They’re really intense. I do worry about Noah if I’m honest. He looks so sad”. She thought of that first chat they’d had. Of some of the fun they’d shared in the challenges. The boy she’d seen then wasn’t the one she saw when he was around Hope. 

“Ok, so you’re going to be on board with this plan then” Priya continued “I think we need to test them, we need to see if Noah can have his head turned, to see if what they have is real, and if he’s happy” 

Sophia was about to respond and say that she didn’t think it was a good idea when Bobby bounced up, clearly animated by the thought of a scheme “Yes Priya! You should try to turn his head” 

Rahim’s face somehow became more forlorn. It was an impressive feat.

Bobby saw that and then turned to Sophia “and you could try as well Sophia, I don’t mind”

Well that felt a little like a knife to the heart. Why wouldn’t Bobby care if she flirted with Noah? Maybe he didn’t like her that much. Maybe she’d misread the signals. 

She shook her head “Uh, nah, I don’t think I’ll be doing that. I mean, go for it if you want to, but I’m not sure this is the best way to support Noah”.

She might as well have not spoken as Bobby continued “Ok, so Priya, you’ll try. Just don’t let Hope catch you. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of her, you know that”.

“I’m going to...leave you guys to it” Sophia responded, and walked towards the mansion doors. A part of her had hoped Bobby would follow her, apologise, maybe explain why he’d just offered her up as a sacrificial lamb in his Operation Nope, but he didn’t. She went to lie down but found that she couldn’t rest, and the shadiness of what had just been discussed was sitting heavily in her heart, and so she walked over to the roof terrace. Unfortunately, she hadn’t expected to find it occupied, and froze when she realised that she was alone with Hope. 

“Ugh... it's you” was the warm greeting she received from Hope. The chill factor seemed to increase and Sophia was glad of her hoodie choice. 

“I’ll leave you…” Sophia began, until she saw Hope’s face. She looked almost...sad. But that wasn’t an emotion Sophia had seen in her before and it was as unsettling at the flashes of red she was sure she could see in Hope’s eyes. “Are you...ok? Do you need anything?”

Hope looked at her, sadness replaced by scorn “There are things I need, but I don’t think it’s anything you can help with. I just...ugh...I just don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m not sure love is something that I will ever really find. And if I do, I’ll destroy it, like I am with Noah. Destruction is in my nature, it’s part of who I am. How I was created”.

“Uh..what’s happened with Noah?” Sophia asked, making a conscious decision in that moment to try and ignore the voice in her head that was screaming at her and telling her to run.

Hope towered over her, the red flashes in her eyes more noticeable up close. “The stone fell out of my favourite amulet, and the stupid vampire said it’d be fine, he could just glue it back in. I don’t think he understands the dark magic that bound it there. The fact I need to...replenish my energy...before more things start to fall apart. He tried telling me that perhaps I don’t need these things. Absolute fool”.

Sophia’s horror filter kicked in and she decided not to hear the words ‘replenish my energy’ because they were said with so much menace, and Sophia was sure the fear was about to turn her hair white.

“I guess...uh...I guess he just means that he likes you without all of the accessories you have. They’re not important to him”

“Ha!! Accessories! The amulet may be an external trinket, but I’d like to see Noah come near me if he saw the real me. I’m spectacular to look at, I know that, but it takes work to look like this. Deals have been made and I can’t go back on them. Especially not just because some librarian vampire with a glitter complex decides I can be better, do better things”.

Sophia shrugged, putting her energy into looking and sounding relaxed, desperate to avoid Hope sense the panic that was running through her veins, her fight or flight response definitely signally it was time to run like hell. “I think maybe you need to think about what's most important to you, if that’s having a relationship with someone like Noah, then that’s what you have to work on”.

Hope stepped back slightly and tapped a finger on her chin “That isn’t bad advice from someone so insignificant. I like Noah...but maybe I like other things more...I guess that’s what I need to work through before I push him away. You can go now”.

Sophia didn’t respond to the dismissal, the relief about having the opportunity to put distance between her and Hope far outweighed any indignation about how she’d just been spoken to. She ran back inside and down the stairs. 

The living room was lit with two candles, and she jumped when she realised a figure was sitting in the corner, hunched over in one of the red velvet chairs.

“H..hello? Who’s that” she asked, trying to reassure herself that whoever it was, they couldn’t be as terrifying as the person she’d just left.

The shadowy figure stood up, and in the candlelight Sophia could see it was Noah. He was clutching something in his hand which had a golden chain hanging loose.

He looked down at his hand as he walked towards her “I’m sorry if I startled you. I was just trying to fix this piece of jewellery, to make Hope happy, but it's the weirdest thing, no glue will stick the stone back in place - it just drops right out each time”. 

“Oh..well at least you’ve tried Noah. I think from what Hope just said it’s going to take something other than glue to fix it. To fix her”

Noah took another step closer. “You spoke to her? Did she mention me at all?”

“I mean...yeah...she did” and then the words came tumbling out as she looked into his face and saw the fragility in his eyes “Noah, I think you should explore other options, find your happiness, you know? You just seem like you aren’t yourself around Hope, and that’s just not ok”

His eyes widened as he listened to the words and he placed a finger on her lips “Don’t let her hear you Sophia. I don’t care to think about what she could do to you” he lowered his voice to whisper “but I do understand what you’re saying. Although really, who else is there for me here? I’ve been so caught up with Hope since the first day that I don’t think I have a place in here without her. But...I do want to find love...and I don’t think that’s her. But maybe...maybe...she’s what I deserve, you know? For what I am, who I am, what I’ve..done”

Sophia took a step this time, wanting to comfort him, to tell him he was worth everything, and that there could be happiness for him if he’d just open himself up to the possibility.

But she didn’t need to say anything as Noah continued, smiling shyly at his hands and the amulet they were still holding. “I mean someone like you...I could never. You’re too alive, too kind and full of love. Someone like me and someone like you...it could never work”

Sophia found herself reaching her arms around him and drawing him into a hug, without a second thought. He was stiff in her arms at first but then relaxed into the embrace. She marveled again at how cool his skin was, but how smooth.

She stood on tiptoes to whisper into his ear “Noah, you are enough for anyone. Don’t forget that”.

They loosened their embrace slightly and she found herself looking up into the face of a boy who was absolutely and completely trapped by his own self-doubt, and her heart hurt for him in that moment. 

His smell was still intoxicating to her and without a thought of what she was doing, and with Operation Nope so far from her mind that it seemed to be a conversation in another time and place, she found herself reaching up to kiss him. Lightly on the cheek at first, as she murmured ‘you are enough’ again, but then moving to his mouth, and those plush lips that so rarely smiled. 

As their lips met, all thought tumbled out of her head and onto the floor, joined by the amulet which Noah dropped as he ran his hands up her back. His mouth responded to her kiss and he drew her closer to him. It was a delicate kiss, not full of raw passion, but full of emotion, and their tongues found each other, slowly moving together. Sophia ran her hands into his hair, but as she pressed her body even closer to him she suddenly felt his body return to its earlier stiffness and he pulled away from the kiss and her embrace.

“I shouldn’t have..we shouldn’t have. It’s not safe. That shouldn’t have happened. Didn’t happen. I’m so sorry. What have I done? I need to...go”

With that, he fled the living room and she saw him running outside and into the night, leaving Sophia alone with her thoughts, and the amulet, and it was all too much. 

She slumped to the floor and picked up the stone that had fallen out of the amulet. It was a dark cloudy red, and as she stared at it, the flicker of the candlelight played tricks with her vision and almost made it look as though she could see faces in the stone, moving, screaming, men hammering their fists, trying to break free.

She threw the stone across the floor, wanting it to be as far away from her as possible.

As the thoughts that had tumbled out of her brain at the moment of the kiss returned, her mind was filled with confusion. Gary had ditched her for Lottie. Bobby had seemed quite happy to offer her up as part of a game. And now Noah...confusing and captivating Noah. She was starting to think that this island was the worst place on earth to find love. 

It was all too much and she knew it must almost be time to get ready for the party, and so she stood up, brushed off the dust that he jeans had just picked up from the floor, and held her head high, walking back out into the night, and into whatever chaos was ahead. Nothing was so bad that she couldn’t deal with it, she was starting to realise that.

If only she knew.


	13. Party to the Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the Monstrosity of Sound party...but the beats might not be enough to bury the aftermath of Sophia's kiss with Noah. And when two new islanders arrive things are going to get messy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo...Chapter 13...will it be lucky or unlucky? 
> 
> The song at the Monstrosity of Sound party is the one used in the game - 'Obsessed' by Ina Wroldsen and Dynoro. Listen to it during that scene if you can. That song...with that moment with Gary? Oof.

Sophia nervously walked into the dressing room. She could already hear the chatter of the girls, and she was terrified that the news of her kiss could have spread already, and she wanted to be the first to tell Bobby, but he was nowhere to be found. Probably exploring the Forest. Her need to talk to him didn’t give her the courage to go in there alone...yet.

Everyone was in there, applying their makeup, but there was an atmosphere so thick that Sophia could almost see it, dark swirls of smoke working their way around the girls, tendrils wrapping around their ankles, ready to pull them down.

“So Priya, what were you talking to Noah about earlier?” Lottie asked, her voice intentionally innocent, knowing the trouble she was about to unleash.

Priya looked panicked and avoided the question “ooh look, gold tattoos, let's put them on, they’ll look gorgeous under the lights”

Behind the furthest mirror, a clatter of make-up could be heard, and with the screech of a stool, Hope stood up. In her heels, she looked about seven feet tall, and her face was contorted with rage. Her eyes were no longer flashing red, instead, they were the purest red. Her hair, normally arranged so perfectly in braids that hung neatly down her back was whipping around in the air, like furious snakes looking for their next bite. The entire effect was terrifying, and the golden tattoos she’d already applied did nothing to lessen the effect.

“You...and you” she pointed a finger at Priya first and then Sophia “You stupid, pathetic creatures. You think you can mess around with my man, and I won’t know? I know EVERYTHING and I swear to Lucifer that you are both going to pay for what you’ve done. Especially you” the last word was said with a sneer, and the finger-pointing in Sophia’s direction might as well have been a knife. 

Sophia tried to speak but found no words. Was this it? The end? All because she couldn’t resist the lips of a librarian vampire. 

“Now Hope” Marisol stepped in, moving in front of Sophia in an act of protection that Sophia was incredibly grateful for “remember what the producers said to you early when you were threatening to rip her throat out”

Sophia found herself repeating Marisol’s words without even thinking about it “Rip my thro..”

Marisol shushed her. “Leave me to sort this...don’t speak.” She turned back to Hope “If anything happens to any of us..anything bad...the show is cancelled and this is all for nothing. We were close to that after what happened with Hannah” she cast a scathing look in Lottie’s direction. “No afterparties, no magazine deals, no guest slots on daytime TV. Nothing. We go back to our lives as they were before. And you’ll be without Noah...you know that he’s never going to forgive you for hurting anyone”. 

“Ugh, FINE” her eyes had returned to normal, and the lines of rage had softened into a frown. “But I’m not forgetting this, our friendship is completely over Sophia. I’m going to go and find Noah, spend some quality time with him before the party”

With that she stormed out of the dressing room, slamming the door behind her so hard it fell off its hinges.

Sophia stood frozen to the spot. She wasn’t sure if she was most shocked by Hope’s appearance, the fact she genuinely seemed like she wanted to kill her in that moment, or the fact that Hope had thought they were friends before. 

Marisol spun to face her “You kissed Noah? Hell Sophia - play with fire, why don’t you” she turned to Priya “and you’ve been hitting on him as well today? What vampire pheromones has he been throwing at you guys today?”

Priya looked forlorn. “It was supposed to be a test. We were seeing if he really liked Hope..he just doesn’t seem happy. Well, actually, I thought it was just me testing him and that Sophia didn’t want any part of it” she looked at Sophia thoughtfully “I guess I was wrong” 

Lottie snorted “It’s no surprise is it, Girl Code means nothing to you”. 

Before anyone could respond she stormed out of the changing room. 

Marisol looked at both of the remaining girls. “Come on then girls...I’m quite looking forward to this party now!” 

Priya followed her out of the room, and Sophia held back, trying to decide what outfit to wear. The producers had provided a selection of Monstrosity of Sound branded clothing and she chose a black plunging top that had tiny sequins shaped like monster heads sewn all over it, and some black jeans. It didn’t feel like a night to be going full glam anymore. In fact, it kind of felt like a night for hiding under a duvet and never coming out again.

But she needed to find Bobby and explain to him what had happened. She wasn’t sure if he’d even care, he’d been so weird about Operation Nope, but she cared, and cared about him. 

Sophia walked outside first but couldn’t see the person she was looking for. She did see Noah over to one side of the lawn, but he quickly looked away, as if even looking at her would lead to something very bad. 

“Try the balcony” Lottie called over to her from the bar. She had an almost apologetic look on her face, and Sophia made a mental note to try and mend to divide that had formed between them recently. Sophia nodded at her in thanks and turned to make her way up to the oversized balcony, which had an archway of grapevines growing up a wooden structure. It was so freezing almost all of the time that Sophia had wondered on a few occasions how it was possible that they were even growing.

But now wasn’t the time for horticultural musings. A difficult conversation was needed, and there wasn’t any point in delaying it. 

“Oh my god Bobby, I do that as well. It’s so much easier to hide behind our powers than show who we really are. I totally get you”

Priya and Bobby were sat on a bench, close and facing each other, taking it in turns to drink straight from a champagne bottle that had clearly been taken from the party. Priya was talking to him in an animated way, her face streaked with make-up, but still absolutely beautiful. 

Sophia coughed, suddenly feeling nervous, and like she was interrupting something that she wasn’t a part of. “Mind if I join you guys?” she asked, walking across the balcony. 

The silence was thick, and the awkward pause seemed to last for way longer than the situation required. She searched Bobby’s face, trying to see how he was feeling, what he knew. 

He finally replied, “Priya already feels bad, Sophia, I don’t think she needs to feel worse”. 

Sophia was shocked, and if she was honest with herself, a little bit hurt. “Uh, I just wanted to check if she’s ok, things were pretty tense in there”.

Priya smiled weakly “Thank you, Sophia. That was just...horrible. When Lottie started having a go about Girl Code as well, my God. Seems like you had more luck with Operation Nope than I did. I...I admitted to Noah that I fancied him and tried to kiss him, but he just dodged it. I even tried using my siren call, but he was completely immune to it. You’ll have to teach me your tricks, Sophia. You got the kiss, after all”.

And there it was. From the look on Bobby's face, he hadn’t known, but he definitely did now. The bottle of champagne dropped from his hands, the thick glass protecting it from smashing, but it rolled away, spilling champagne as it traveled. The tiny bubbling stream it left filled the air with the smell of alcohol, and in this moment it was making Sophia feel like she was going to be sick. 

He looked at Sophia, his face a mask more impressive than any animal persona he’d adopted so far. With no expression, he muttered “So you uh, you actually kissed him”

Sophia found herself feeling defensive, it wasn’t how she was feeling when she stepped onto the balcony, but as she stood there looking at the two people who had started the whole Operation Nope nightmare, she found herself feeling annoyed again at Bobby for even suggesting it. 

The grapevines began to rustle. A breeze perhaps. 

“Operation Nope, remember Bobby? Your idea? You were happy for me to try. I know I said I didn’t want to have a part in it, but it just happened”. 

The mask slipped slightly and was replaced by shock. “I guess I didn’t think he’d actually go for it. I uh, yeah, I guess this is sort of my doing”. He ran a hand through his dreadlocks and pursed his lips to one side, clearly thinking his way through the situation. 

And then a different mask was in place, and cheerful Bobby appeared “Ah well, no use crying over spilled champagne. It’s happened now. How about we go and try to have a good time at the Monstrosity of Sound party?”

Priya nodded “I just want to go and find Rahim, keep building what I have with him, if he can get over how I behaved of course”.

Sophia’s heart ached for Rahim in that moment. This would be hurting him more than he’d ever admit to Priya. 

Bobby stood up “Well, our clever plan blew up in our faces, huh” he turned to look at Sophia as he continued “At least you probably won’t be kissing Noah again. I’m not the jealous type, like I said. But still. Yeah...”

Bobby reached out and took Sophia’s hand, threading his fingers through hers. Her head was reeling and she couldn’t quite decipher how he was feeling about what had happened. 

“I’m glad I get to be your date to this party, it’ll all turn out fine. I think!”

Sophia was too emotionally drained to test him further and so nodded, following him downstairs to the garden. 

The lawn space had been transformed. Black, purple, and orange mirrored disco balls were hanging from every available space, and the disco lights were bouncing off them, filling the outside space with sparkling lights. It was beautiful. So beautiful that Sophia found herself smiling, despite the confusion that was still raging in her mind. She knew that there was a difficult conversation with Bobby in her future, but maybe she could just enjoy this moment for what it was. 

She looked over to the DJ Booth and was surprised to see a kangaroo mixing on the decks. “What in the…” she asked.

Bobby followed her eyes to the booth. “Oh, that’s DJ Tim...he’s a shifter too. Best shifting DJ there is, to be honest. Actually...scrap that...he might be the only shifting DJ. But he’s still great! I’m gonna grab us some drinks, I’ll be back”

As he walked away DJ Kangaroo..uh...Tim...started playing a track that caused the hairs to stand up on the back of Sophia’s neck.

__

_I tried to climb into your skin  
I tried to locate the beating  
Of your, your, your, your heart_

She looked around the lawn and saw that no one was dancing yet. As she scanned the space she saw Gary sat on his own on a lawn chair, leant forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He had a bottle of beer in one hand but wasn’t looking at it. His eyes were fixed on her instead. Their eyes met and for a moment everything stopped.

__

_I walked for hours inside you  
I talked in my voice and tried to  
Find your, your, your, your heart_

The twirling disco ball above him was causing specks of light to travel across his face. He looked...calm. He smiled and nodded at her and she found herself smiling back. She missed being around him.

__

_I ran through all your veins  
I saw all of your visions  
I found all of you babe  
But I couldn't find me anywhere_

Gary’s body was completely still apart from one foot tapping to the beat, and if felt like their eyes were locked across that lawn for hours, although it was probably a matter of seconds. As the lights continued to dance around them and the music continued its pulsing beat, Sophia felt like they were somewhere else in that moment, alone, just them. No words needed. The look in his eyes was enough to send her stomach into somersaults.

__

_I gotta get free, oh baby  
I'm too invested  
I can't get obsessed with you_

The tune continued as DJ Tim called out over the mic “C’mon spooks...aren’t any of you going to show me your moves?”

Her moment with Gary was broken and Sophia took the hint, as others also made their way over to the lawn. She found a space by herself and let the beat work its way through her body. As she moved she felt free again, happy. She needed to remember she was ok on her own, she had this.

As the next track was mixed in seamlessly, she felt someone take her hand, and opened her eyes to see Bobby smiling at her. “Hey. Mind if I join you?”

There was no awkward pause this time, and with one nod of her head, she was being twirled around, and then pulled tightly into his arms. She relaxed into his embrace, and their bodies moved easily together, hips swaying. 

For a blissful moment all islanders were dancing on the lawn and Sophia dared to think for a second that perhaps things would be ok. Even Hope and Noah were smiling while they danced. If felt like a moment of complete freedom for all of them. Drama and tension were forgotten. All that existed was the beat of the music, the crisp night air and a group of people loving every moment. 

And then, just as quickly as the moment was created, it was lost, as footsteps were heard on the gravel path, walking away from the mansion, and towards the group. The super hearing of many of the islanders meant that they didn’t get very far before the alarm was called.

If Gary shouting ‘Oi, Oi’ could count as an alarm. 

Sophia turned on the spot, looking in the direction everyone else had fixed their gazes on. Two figures were walking down the path, as different in stature as it was possible to be. One of them was petite, and seemed to step so lightly she was almost floating. The other looked like a giant in comparison, he was built, his physique pumped, his walk awkward and jerky.

Before Sophia knew what was happening, the girl was running over to her, and gathering her in a hug. The hug was like being enveloped in rose scented cotton candy and Sophia was entirely unsure what had just happened. 

The girl stepped back “Oh my god. Sophia! It’s you, I can’t believe it’s you. I’ve been watching every episode, I love everything about you” she clapped her hands in glee “I’m Chelsea and I can’t believe I’m actually here, on this island. With you guys” she twirled on the spot and laughed, it was a beautiful sound “I can’t wait to become friends with all of you” and stopped twirling and pointed to Hope “even you...I see through your exterior, we’re going to be friends, I know it”.

Then she turned back to Sophia “and Sophia...we need to talk girl. I can’t believe you think you’re just human. We’ll work it out, I’ve got your back”.

“Uh..th...thanks. I think? Although I think I know who I am…”

Chelsea laughed and clapped her hands again “Oh the adventures we’re going to have”.

Sophia took a moment to block out the constant chatter and really take in the beauty of this hyperactive being in front of her. She was petite, with blonde and pale pink hair and she was wearing a crown of pink peonies. Her outfit was a pink leotard and then a pink tulle skirt with delicate rose gold beads sewn onto the net. It twirled around as she spun on the spot. She could have been a ballerina. 

Or a fairy. 

An annoyed sigh alerted Sophia to the fact that she had been so engulfed by the cloud of pink that was Chelsea that she hadn’t given the other new islander a second thought. As she turned to look at him, a part of her wished she had kept her eyes fixed on Chelsea.

He was tall...and her initial assessment that he was built was definitely correct, although close up it looked like he had been actually built. His movements were weird and jerky, and it seemed like his head didn’t belong to his torso...and his torso didn’t belong to his arms. He was like a lego man, made up of different pieces, but they didn’t come together to form a coherent and complete person. And were those...bolts...in his neck?

“Frankenstein's monster…?” Sophia clapped her hand to her mouth when she realised that she’d said that aloud. 

The hulking man in front of her, who had skin so white and translucent he almost looked green, frowned at her.

“No...my creator is Zabinski. He learned from the great Frankenstein though. I was created in the vision of the perfect man. I think you can all agree he did a perfect job”.

With that, he flexed his muscles, before continuing “And if the boys here aren’t up for the challenge of a real woman like Priya, I am”.

There was a moment's silence as everyone tried to mentally adjust to the concept of two new islanders. 

Priya broke the silence by turning to Chelsea and asking the question that was on everyone's minds “So Chelsea, what have you guys seen happening in here? Any dramas to share?”

Chelsea’s eyes grew in size as she nodded with barely contained excitement “I’ve seen a lot.”

She grinned at Sophia, who had flashbacks to the kitchen counter...the forest...the shower... and had a sudden need for a vodka shot or twenty.  
But Chelsea continued “I have so many opinions. But I think the big thing was that kiss”

Hope stepped in at this point, her voice shaking with an attempt to stay calm “The kiss between Sophia and Noah you mean?”

Sophia could see Bobby tense out of the corner of her eyesight and felt a pang of guilt. Operation Nope may have been his idea, but he was clearly finding the aftermath difficult to deal with, even if he wouldn’t admit it. They needed to talk properly, and soon. 

Chelsea shook her head “That’s not actually what I’m talking about”.

Silence fell again, as the islanders all looked at each other nervously. The moment seemed to last for hours, and was broken by Gary slapping his forehead with his palm and exclaiming “God Dammit”.

Lottie looked at him and just said “ugh”, throwing her hands up in the air in despair.

Sophia stood looking between the two of them, wondering what had caused their outburst, and then the penny slowly started to drop. 

Chelsea turned her gaze on Lottie “Lottie, you were supposed to be Hannah’s best friend in here, and then it seemed like you got rid of her because you knew she was interested in Gary...and don’t even get me started on what you did to Sophia”

Lottie blushed bright red and stuttered a response “I...I was...and I didn’t do anything to anyone”

Chelsea folded her arms, looking impressively stern as she stood in her flower crown and tutu. “Then how did you end up snogging Gary? Right after Hannah got dragged straight to hell?”

And just like that, the introduction of an adorable fairy-like being had drawn the earlier bliss to a brutal end. 

And it was time for some truths.


	14. Late Night Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for some truths, some late night chats and a little bit of heartbreak. Sophia needs to deal with the aftermath of the kiss with Noah, and just what this means for her and Bobby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time to jump on the angst train lads. My heart breaks for Bobby right now.

It was a truth she’d known all along. Gary and Lottie had hooked up at a time when her and Gary were still something. What that something was, she honestly couldn’t define. She found that she wasn’t angry, not even hurt. She quickly reflected that she had, after all, used the mission of finding ‘the right one for her’ to kiss not one, not two, but three boys on this god forsaken gloom fest of an island. And if someone was standing in front of her right now, asking her to choose one, she honestly didn’t know what she would say. At this point, she’d probably pick Rahim and live in zombie friend happiness. Sure, there would always be an undercurrent of fear that he might try to eat her brains at any minute, but it seemed a small price to pay to be free from the emotional torment of the past eleven days.

The group were absolutely silent, but DJ Tim was still doing his best to spin some tunes. As another 90’s dance classic filled the garden Sophia was suddenly hit by the ridiculousness of the situation she was in. A giggle worked through her body and out of her mouth before she knew what was happening. All eyes were taken off Lottie for a second, a mix of concern and amusement on the faces that were now staring at her. 

“Uh, Sophia, you ok?” it was Gary that asked the question. His face was completely serious, but a sparkle in his eye suggested that he also realised how ridiculous this all was. 

Sophia managed to get her giggles under control and waved a hand at him “Yep, yep, all good. Carry on guys, as you were”

With that, all eyes shifted back to Lottie, who was bright red and trying to hide behind her hair. It was Marisol who spoke first.

“So...just so I’ve got this right. After Hannah was rudely kicked back to who knows where, and I was coupled with Gary, who was so caught up in Sophia still that I might as well have been coupled up with a statue, you were snogging his face off. Have I got that right? Not judging you, we all need to do what we need to do in here, but really, help me understand what happened”

Lottie opened and closed her mouth a couple of times but no words came out. 

The next person to speak was Jakub, using the charm his creator clearly instilled him with to break the tension “What’s all this then? I thought we were having a party, and I’ve got some fit girls I wanna get chirpsing with”.

And that was it. A Frankenstein’s Monster saying he wanted to get chirpsing was enough to turn the bubbling giggles into full laughter, and Sophia collapsed to the floor, her laughter turning to wheezing as she tried to respond to Jakub who had asked “What?” unable to understand what he had said that was even slightly funny. 

“I just..this is..ridiculous” she managed. “Can we all agree that no one is perfect, that we’re all finding our way through this crazy drama. Oh, and that the big guy needs to get chirpsing. Don’t forget that”.

Rahim stepped in. “I’m with Sophia. Let’s all get some space. Give Lottie some space”. 

Jakub broke into his first smile of the evening “Yes my man! All my party people, on me!” 

With that he broke into an energetic lumber across the lawn. Everyone started to follow him, apart from Gary who made a move towards Lottie, Noah lightly touched his shoulder, in a clear gesture that told Gary to give her some space, and they followed the other islanders instead. 

Sophia, Priya, Chelsea and Lottie were then left, rooted to the spot. Lottie looked as if she had forgotten how to move, although she desperately wanted to, and Priya looked like she was building up to a fight. Sophia knew she needed to stop that from happening because no good at all would come from making Lottie feel bad about the situation, even if that’s exactly what she would have done to someone else. 

Priya was calm when she spoke, but the undercurrent of annoyance was clear, and dripped off every word she spoke. “Lottie, after all of your ranting about Girl Code, you kissed another girl's guy, and one that your supposed best friend liked. Really?”

Lottie muttered “It was one kiss”.

Sophia stepped in at this point “She’s right. It was a kiss. Give her space”

“Well give us the details so we can understand” was Priya’s response. Sophia couldn’t understand why Priya was acting this upset. It wasn’t a side she’d seen before. But the questioning only pushed Lottie further away, as she stormed off without giving an answer. 

Sophia became aware of a queue of the boys to her right, apparently waiting for some time with the new girl. Bobby and Gary seemed particularly keen, and Sophia forced the little bubble of jealousy down . It turned out that she didn’t need to worry as Chelsea had no inclination to spend time with anyone but her. It was a little overwhelming, but something about Chelsea meant that Sophia knew it came from a genuine place of caring. 

Chelsea twirled on the spot to turn and face her adoring fans “Sorry boys, Sophia and I have got some important business to discuss, you’ll just have to wait. Go fetch us some drinks or something. Now shoo” she waved her delicate hand, and the boys began stepping away, looking forlorn that they weren’t getting a chance to get to know the cloud of prettiness that had joined them.

Chelsea turned to Sophia “I meant what I said earlier. I’ve got your back and I’m going to help you work out what you are. I get the feeling we’re quite similar”.

“Are you a…” Sophia didn’t have an end to that sentence, and was praying that Chelsea would complete it for her. She didn’t disappoint.

“Oh me? I’m a fairy. These didn’t give it away?”. Chelsea laughed and then raised her arms up and stretched out a set of wings that were clear and pearlescent, beautiful, and terrifying. They were similar to the wings of a dragonfly that Sophia had once watched hovering and swooping by a river.

“I...uh...I’m not a fairy Chelsea”.

Chelsea laughed again “Of course you’re not babe. You don’t have any wings. So anyway, I think I need to ask for your advice about how to repair things with Lottie. I didn’t really think through what would happen there”.

“Ha! I don’t know if I’m the right person to do that. But you just have to be honest with Lottie, just apologise. No excuses. Just an apology. It can’t hurt, at least”.

Marisol appeared by them. “Sophia, can I speak to you? And anyway, I think we need to give these guys a chance to talk to the new girl before their heads explode from the pressure of restraining themselves”. 

Sophia turned to see that the queue of boys had returned. Bobby was at the front again. 

“Not you” Marisol pointed at him. “You come with me as well”. 

She didn’t wait for a response, and walked in the direction of the kitchen before Bobby had a chance to complain. Sophia looked at him and shrugged “I get the feeling that resistance is futile when it comes to Marisol”.

He smiled and nodded, although the usual warmth in his smile wasn’t there. 

“Bobby...should we actually talk, you know, about us, rather than to Marisol about whatever it is she wants” Sophia asked, her stomach screwed up into the tightest ball at the thought of Bobby becoming cold towards her. 

“Nah, there’s time for that. Never keep a vampire waiting. C’mon” and Bobby was walking across the lawn before she could respond. 

Sophia followed, and the conversation with Marisol was a blur, her mind focussed on wanting to repair things with Bobby. Whether that was repairing their friendship, or something more, she didn’t know, but she did know that she didn’t want to lose the connection they had. 

By the end of the conversation, it seemed as though Sophia had agreed to play peacekeeper and mend the tension between Lottie and Priya, and Lottie and Chelsea. She didn’t remember agreeing to it, but didn’t have the energy to argue that maybe, just maybe, she had her own shit to deal with. 

Weary she just responded “Yep, whatever you say Marisol, I’ll get right on it tomorrow”.

Bobby smiled, some of the warmth returning “You’ll do great. I’m gonna go and get an early night...uh day. See you upstairs in a bit?”

But he was gone before she could respond. 

Sophia sighed and took a giant cocktail from the bar. This one was dark purple and almost seemed to be bubbling. It was served in a cauldron, with a purple straw, and when Sophia took a sip she screwed her face up. It tasted like perfume. Old lady perfume that had been sat around in a drawer for twenty years. But it was taking the edge off the tension that was building inside her again, and so she carried on sipping. 

She was freezing cold in the tiny black top and headed towards the mansion to find something to give her a bit of warmth. As she walked through the living room she recoiled in horror when she realised that Hope was sat in there on her own. 

Hope looked up, her face annoyed when she saw who had just entered. “You” was all she managed to sneer before returning to inspecting her nails.

Sophia took a deep breath and decided it was time to face the danger. She’d started this ball rolling when she’d kissed Noah, no point hiding now.

“Hi Hope..uh...want a sip of my cocktail?”

Hope looked surprised at the gesture, but shook her head. 

“No. I’m feeling sick if I’m honest. It’s not a sensation I’m used to.”.

“Something you ate?” Sophia asked, knowing full well that wasn’t the answer.

“Ha! I wish” Hope responded “I haven’t eaten anything filling since the moment I stepped in here. No. I feel sad, confused, jealous. Ugh. Such petty human emotions. What has this place done to me?”

Sophia pushed her luck further “Is it because of Noah? Hope, I am truly sorry if you’re hurt by this. You just never really seemed to...care”.

Hope let out a small laugh “Well that’s the irony. I didn’t think I did care. Not really. I tend to just push people away. I don’t like to get too close. It doesn’t end well with...my line of work”. 

“Maybe Noah isn’t really the one for you, you know? If you’re already fighting and feeling like this”.

Hope shrugged “Maybe. Although a couple of weeks ago I would never have believed there was a ‘one’ for me. And then that stupid librarian came along and now look at me”.

She looked up, and for the first time since they met, Sophia saw a tiny ounce of warmth in those eyes.

“Anyway, please leave me for some quiet time to think. Oh, and please don’t kiss my man again”.

Sophia nodded, feeling like a deadly viper had just dismissed her from a room. She realised how exhausted she was and decided it was time for sleep. After getting changed she climbed into bed, which was being kept toasty and warm by Bobby. But when she climbed in he didn’t respond. He just snuggled more into his side of the bed. 

Sophia knew she could push it, could try to engage him in a conversation and have that chat that they so desperately needed, but at that moment she realised she was too tired for any more drama, and it took minutes for sleep to overtake her and drag her into a swirling mass of dreams. 

She woke with a start. She’d been dreaming that she had grown wings and was flying above the clouds, holding hands with Chelsea, but that the wings had disappeared and she was plummeting to the ground, twirling in the air...falling...falling.

She sat upright in the bed and looked around the room, her heart still pounding. One one else was in their beds, and the coffins were open. She looked to the other side of her bed and saw what she already knew. Bobby wasn’t there. 

She sighed and started to climb out of bed, knowing it was time to get ready and face whatever was ahead. She wondered if she could get away with sitting in the corner of the garden, just sipping on cocktails. But then she remembered the promise she’d made to play peacekeeper.

Just as she was slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand and exclaiming “why did you say yes” Bobby appeared from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around him and his skin still glistening from the shower. 

He smiled as he walked over to the bed “Good morning beautiful, I didn’t want to wake you”.

Sophia returned the smile, wishing in that moment that everything with Noah had been part of the dream, and there was no drama. Only Bobby, with tiny droplets of water sitting on his toned body.

“Hey. What a sight to wake up to” Sophia replied, and then her body tensed as the next words arrived in a rush “Bobby, I really think we need to talk, about the Noah thing, about what it means and where we are with things. That stuff, you know?”

Bobby’s response caused her stomach to tense when the reality of his words hit “Do we? Way I see it - if you like him, maybe you should just crack on”. 

Sophia’s next question was muttered quietly “So you’re not angry? Or hurt?”

Bobby shrugged “Nah, I’m not the type to get all jealous about this stuff. Sorry if that's what you were hoping for, but its not me..”

Sophia interrupted “What I was ...hoping for? I wasn’t hoping for anything Bobby”.

“If you like him, there’s not too much I can do about it is there?” Bobby replied, his face showing no emotion “I just have to deal with it and move on”.

“Bobby I’m not...I’m not sure how I feel right now. It was stupid of me to kiss Noah, but then Operation Nope was your idea...and now you just...don’t care? I’m not sure who you are right now, and I’m not sure I understand what we are any more”. Sophia hated the sound of the words as they came tumbling out of her mouth. They sounded needy, entitled, pathetic. It was her who kissed someone else after all, but there they were, out there, floating around in the thick atmosphere that had now developed between them. 

Bobby sighed and sat down on the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose “Ok, I understand but let’s just enjoy today and talk about this more when we’ve both had some headspace, yeah?”

His face was no longer a mask. It was sad, and it was hurting her heart to see his eyes lose their sparkle. But before she could say anything else he smiled sadly and left the room. 

Sophia felt tears threatening to arrive and quickly steeled herself. She didn’t think that this was a good place to show any weakness. Too many hunters around her, and she had prey stamped on her forehead as it was. She sighed, gave the mattress one short, sharp punch and then left the bedroom to get ready for the night, choosing the comfiest outfit she could find, and wrapping a giant sweater around her. She was fairly sure about what needed to happen next, what was best for her and everyone around her, and a glam outfit wasn’t needed for that.

The first part of the evening was a blur of mending the feuds that had erupted between the girls. Sophia had never seen herself as a peacekeeper, but here she was, flying the flag for friendship and forgiveness. After sorting out the tension between Priya and Lottie, she moved on to Chesea and Lottie. Both reunions were successful, and they also helped mend things between Sophia and Lottie, she she was feeling light and fluffy as she walked away. The fact that Jakub hadn’t picked her for a date hadn’t phased her at all, in fact she’d been relieved. 

As she sat with Priya, Chelsea and Lottie sharing stories of horrific dates she felt light and carefree. Unfortunately, the sound of a soft Glaswegian accent speaking right behind her set her stomach flipping, and she knew it was time for ‘that’ chat.

“Sophia, sorry to interrupt. Can I, can we, talk for a moment. Alone”.

Sophia stood and nodded and the pair walked in silence over to the Hell Pit. They sat opposite each other, and the light bouncing off Bobby’s skin made her heart skip a beat. In that moment she had no words, and it was Bobby who spoke first.

“Sophia, you’re right, we need to talk. How are you...feeling about things between us at the moment”.  
Sophia wrapped her arms around her and took a moment to order the words in her head before she spoke.

“I think...I think we’ve had some challenges over the past couple of days, and I’m not sure...well, I’m not sure that we’ve managed to come through them stronger, you know?”

Bobby’s head fell into his hands “I’ve really messed this up haven’t I?” He muttered to the decking they were sat on.

On impulse Sophia got up and moved to sit next to him. “Bobby, you haven't messed anything up, or caused anything. Please believe that”.

Bobby let out a small laugh which had no humour in it. “Hah, I have, I’ve pulled another McKenzie special. So caught up in the fact that you would never ultimately choose me, that I’ve pushed you away. Pushed you into Noah’s arms”.

The tears that were threatening to arrive early returned with reinforcements, and Sophia used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe them away. “I...you didn’t push me. I don’t know where my head is at Bobby. But I didn’t think you were the jealous type. You even said that. I thought...you didn’t care”. 

Bobby reached up to wipe another tear away with his thumb “I care Sophia. I try not to because I’m so sure I know how this is all going to end. Or I pretend not to. I can shift into any living creature you can imagine. Cat. Horse. Caterpillar. Boy who doesn’t get his heart hurt easily. But it’s all lies. It isn’t who I really am” he signed and returned to staring at the ground “But I can’t escape the fact you’ve kissed Noah. That you have this fire with Gary that seems like it's going to burn everyone around you”. 

Sophia felt her next words catch in her throat. It was true. She knew that. She also knew she needed to stop confusing the boy sat in front of her. Needed to free him so that he could perhaps find happiness with someone else. Chelsea, maybe. 

And then the words unstuck themselves and came tumbling out “Bbby, I think we should end this thing between us. I think I need to be alone, and I think I owe you the freedom to be able to explore other options. I know it might mean I get kicked from the island, but I’m ok with that. I’m not ok with messing with your emotions anymore. I need to get my head straight and work out what I want”.

Bobby nodded, his face a picture of misery. “I get you, lass. We’ll be friends. I care about you a lot, I hope you know that”.

Sophia nodded, the tears still working a slow river down her face. “I care about you Bobby….” but she didn’t get to finish before Bobby stood up, leaned over to kiss her on the forehead and stood back. “I’m gonna go change into...something...go for a late night run. Speak later, ok?”.

He was moving before she could respond, and as she watched him run into the darkness he was suddenly gone. 

Sophia pulled her knees up to her chest and covered her bare legs with the oversized sweater she’d chosen. Tears were pricking her eyes. How had it only been yesterday morning that had started so perfectly? She was sure that each day felt like a month on this island, and she was aging accordingly. She watched the ash float up from the Hell Pit, and wondered for the first time just what was going on down there...she’d never seen anyone throwing wood down there...yet...it was always burning.

Just another thing to lock away in the box in her head, that was currently overflowing with horrors. 

She’d made the right decision, she knew that. Things with Bobby weren’t right, not if he was able to offer her up to Noah like that, and not if she was going to go around kissing Noah like that. It was time to be single, and to work out who she was and what she wanted. So why the hell did she feel so sick, and why were these damn tears refusing to stop falling down her cheeks.

She didn’t know how long she was sitting there before the noise of someone clearing their throat interrupted her thoughts. . She turned her head to see who made the noise, and was surprised to see Gary hovering awkwardly, like he wanted to step forward but didn’t know how.

“Hey Gary” she tried to force a smile while she spoke, but it was more of a pained grimace.

“Hi Sophia...feel free to say no, but I was wondering if there’s room at the Hell Pit for a crane operator with a fur problem and the inability to deal with his emotions in any kind of mature way?”

Sophia smiled, this time it was genuine, and she scooched over and patted the space beside her.

“Always room for one of those. Get over here fur boy”.

Gary’s whole posture relaxed and he sauntered over and sat down. He was holding two bottles of beer, and held one out to her. Sophia took it gratefully and took a drink. It was cold and smooth and perfect for this moment.

“Thanks” she said, staring down at the bottle, unsure of where to take this conversation next. 

“I figured a beer is the least I could do after what I’ve put you though in here”

“Oh, I’m not sure you’ve done anything so bad. We were here to find ‘the one’, right? You thought it could be me, then realised it was Lottie. Part of the game, isn’t it?”

Gary put his beer down and turned on the bench so that he was facing her “Sophia...that’s not..uh..that’s not what happened. I mean, I could see why you’d think that, and I’m a total idiot for not talking to you before, but seriously, if you hadn’t hooked up with Bobby so early on then I don’t think anything would have happened with me and Lottie. My pride was hurt when Hope told me about it and…”

The base of Sophia’s beer bottle hit the seat with so much force that a fountain of drink spilled over the top and onto her shorts. At that moment she couldn’t have cared less.

“Bobby and I did WHAT? And Hope told you about WHAT Gary? Bobby and I didn’t hook up until you’d already cold shouldered me and made your decision clear”.

Gary’s eyes were wide. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of her. It didn’t scare him, but the way all of the plants behind the hell pit were swishing around kind of did. It looked like they were trying to uproot themselves and reach over to him. 

“Sophia, calm, I think uh, I think something is happening. Just calm, ok. We’ll talk”

The tension in Sophia’s body left her in that moment as the ridiculousness of the situation washed over her “I’m sorry - I think I’m having some kind of out of body experience, because I’m fairly sure I’m getting a lesson on being calm from a boy who is known to growl and snarl and turn all beasty whenever he doesn’t get his own way”. 

Gary chuckled “Fair point, well made. That’s something I’m working on. You may have noticed I’m not good at talking about my emotions”

The plants had stopped moving, and Gary was able to focus on the conversation he’d come here to have. “So yeah, Hope spoke to me the day after Priya chose me. Said she’d seen you and Bobby getting up to stuff on the night beds. I didn’t talk to you about it. Didn’t want any drama if I’m honest, and I was still interested in you - I think you could see that from stuff that uh...happened...afterwards” he stopped to grin sheepishly “but I guess the seed of doubt was planted...and there was something about Lottie that night after Hannah disappeared like that. I saw a different side of her”.

Sophia found the anger had left her, but it was replaced by swirling confusion. “Nothing happened between me and Bobby that night. He wasn’t even there. I don’t know why Hope said that. Well...actually...I can guess...but honestly it didn’t”.

Gary ran his hands through his hair and then placed his head in his hands “I’m an idiot. I don’t know why I didn’t just speak to you”

“Male pride? Pack leader can’t face being seen to be below a shifter in the pecking order?” Sophia interjected, more amused than angry at this point.

“Heh...I can see why you’d think that” Gary said, and as he raised his head Sophia could see a faint blush colouring his cheeks “But nah...there was something else going on for me. I think I owe you an explanation...but stick with me because I’m not sure I totally understand it myself”

He reached out and took one of her hands in his, cupping it, one of his thumbs lightly tickling her palm. It felt comforting, intimate, different to the physical contact they’d shared before. But the heat was still there, and it felt like it was shooting through her veins. Apparently the effect of his touch hadn’t lessened at all from the first week. If anything, it was stronger. The thought that this was a very bad idea flashed through her mind. Wasn’t she supposed to be spending some quiet time working out what she was really all about, what her journey on this island should be.

But here was the man who set every part of her on fire. 

And so she sat and looked into his eyes, seeing that thing behind the blue sparkle that had intrigued her on the first couple of days. It was pain, uncertainty, truth.

“This is going to sound corny, I know that, and I can almost imagine my boys at home roaring with laughter at the television. But...whatever I felt with you the first moment we kissed...that isn’t something I’ve ever felt before. It felt like...falling. Like I needed to be with you, to protect you”

One of his hands broke away to find his beer, and he took a drink, seeming to need a moment. Sophia realised she hadn’t been breathing since he’d started speaking, and quickly took some deep breaths. 

“So I uh...I think I was scared. Not sure of what was happening between you and Bobby...or Noah, I saw the looks both of them gave you, knew they could see what I see in you, and I worried I was about to lose my cool and my reputation at home would be torn to shit. I’d lose my pack. But now I think I realise I may have lost something way more important than that”.

And he stopped speaking, instead running his fingers along his jawline, the sound of the scratch of his stubble made Sophia want to leap forward and grab him, kiss him. But he was with Lottie now, and she was supposed to be finding herself, and this was all just a bad idea.

It was her turn to take his hands in hers, and she looked deep into his eyes as she spoke, unsure of what words were going to tumble out and in what order.

“Gary, I..uh. Thank you for explaining. I’m sorry to hear that Hope fed you some lies, and honestly, I’m sorry you believed them. But I know it was early days, and I’m not going to sit here and say I wasn’t attracted to Bobby and Noah. I was. I am. But I was ready to see what this thing was, to give it my everything. I get that this feeling was a first for you, but did you ever think that maybe it was a first for me too?”

Gary went to speak but Sophia continued “So things have just ended with Bobby..”

Gary couldn’t help himself when he heard this news.

“Wait...what? They have? I...I didn’t know”.

Sophia continued “Yeah, I mean, literally just. About five minutes before you arrived. And it hurts. I care about him a lot. I need space Gary. I might need a day, I might need the rest of my time on this island”. She shrugged “Hell, the public might be bored of my angst and I might get booted tomorrow”

Gary smiled as he muttered “Unlikely”.

“Anyway, I’ve got a sunrise to get back to. Care to join me?” she asked, letting go of his hands and picking up her beer. 

“Best idea I’ve heard since we got here” Gary responded, following her in picking up his bottle.

As she sat back and looked at the stunning sky, in complete silence, with Gary silently doing the same, Sophia realised that what she was feeling right now was a deep peace in the very core of her being, and any residual tension melted away. It was bliss.

Had she noticed the plants around her all relaxing their leaves she might have not been so calm. But that was a revelation for another day.


	15. Dirty Skeletons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophia is feeling calm about her decision to spend some time on her now...but it seems like Noah might have some different ideas. A secrets challenge is surely going to be the drama of the evening...or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey...sorry again for the delay. I need to have a word with my boss :) But here's a little chapter to lead us up to the disaster recoupling. I hope you enjoy it.

Sophia woke on the night beds to see that the sun was already setting. She really was becoming fully nocturnal. She mused on the fact it might become an essential skill if she was going to have any kind of future with the night dwellers the island kept throwing at her. 

As her eyes adjusted to the dim light she saw that someone was asleep on the night bed next to hers. There was no mistaking the plaid shirt. It was Gary. Sophia couldn’t help the smile that played on her lips, and the little skip of her heartbeat. But then she realised that this could mean he’d ignored Lottie all day, and that would be bad, very bad.

Noone else seemed to be outside yet, which was probably a blessing at this point. The last thing she needed was any kind of drama, and the thought of Bobby being hurt by the news she’d spent the night outside, with Gary in the next bed, was almost too much.

But as she started to climb off the bed, Gary yawned and stretched, turning to face her, his eyes still sleepy but a happy smile placed firmly on his lips. “Evening” he said, picking his glasses up from the corner of the bed and putting them on. His glasses had some kind of magical power all of their own, because they made her want to climb into his lap and bite his lip. Hard.

She always had been a sucker for a guy in glasses.

“Uh, Gary. How long have you been out here?”

He shrugged “About half an hour. Can’t believe you were still out here if I’m honest. How do you sleep outside for an entire day”? His face grew concerned for a moment “you must have been exhausted. I’m worried about what this place is doing to you”.

Sophia was so relieved to hear that she wasn’t in any trouble with Lottie or Bobby that she just smiled “It’s all good Gary. I’m fully refreshed and ready for whatever this night brings”.

She wasn’t sure if that was even slightly true, but it must have sounded convincing because Gary just led back again and looked at the setting sun. “It’s alright here really, isn’t it? When we’re not all locked in drama, I mean. I’ve got a feeling that things are going to work out for all of us soon” he shrugs “wolf intuition I reckon”.

Sophia laughed “well...your wolf intuition has been spot on so far, so what could possibly go wrong?”

Gary chuckled “Fair point. I mean, ouch, but yeah. Fair”.

Sophia resisted the pull to just stay and chat with him, and so said goodbye and made her way inside to get showered and dressed. The shower felt amazing, like the stress of the past few days was washing off her. Maybe, just maybe, Gary’s wolf intuition was correct and things were about to get a lot calmer. She walked into the dressing room, her towel wrapped around her, humming a song she couldn’t remember the lyrics to. 

Her humming stopped dead when she suddenly realised the door leading from the dressing room to a balcony was ajar and she could hear two voices having a hushed conversation. For a split second her better judgement told her that nothing good would come from eavesdropping. 

However, it was rare that her better judgement won any kind of argument, and this moment was no exception. She tiptoed to the other side of the room to be closer to the voices. 

She heard Noah’s voice first “I wonder if I’d be happier with, well, the ‘someone else’ we talked about”. Sophia’s mind started to race. Who was he talking about? Her? Surely not her. Not after everything that had happened over the past couple of days. But if not her, then who? Priya?

Noah continued “I don’t know. I’m considering it. It seems like a bad idea. I worry I’ll be bad for her. I fit so well with Hope. It just makes sense. But things aren’t good. We’re arguing constantly and that isn’t like me, you know?” he pauses for a moment before continuing “I think I need to admit to myself that I’ve been drawn to Sophia from the first moment we spoke. I can’t...can’t stop thinking about her. But..it’s dangerous...for her. I mean, Hope could…well, you know”.

Sophia had stopped breathing, and suddenly took a gasp of air as her lungs protested. 

The next voice was Priya’s, and it was dripping with disappointment “So there’s definitely nothing here? Between us? Nothing my Siren powers can do to convince you otherwise?”

Noah responded immediately “Priya, I like you as a friend but no”

Sophia’s head was reeling. So Priya actually liked him? But, he had someone else on his mind. Sophia was sure she should feel happy. She’d been attracted to him from the first moment her eyes had fallen on that gorgeous face. But it was all just so messy. 

He sighed before continuing “I need to speak to Hope. Well, and Sophia. See where her head’s at now she’s not with Bobby” he paused again, before quietly continuing “Priya, have I really messed this up?”

But Priya didn’t answer, and instead suggested it was time to go back inside. An alarm started ringing in Sophia’s head when she realised she was about to get caught eavesdropping wearing nothing but a towel. She quickly ran over to one of the wardrobes, her towel working loose as she did, falling to the floor. But there was no time to worry about that. She made it inside and closed the door just in time. As she held her breath she prayed that neither of them needed to get anything from the wardrobe. It would be hard to explain why she was hunched inside it with no clothes on. 

Priya and Noah started walking out of the room, and as Sophia watched through the empty keyhole in the antique wardrobe she breathed a sigh of relief. But it was too soon, because then Noah stopped, and turned. It looked like he sniffed the air and then looked quizzically at the wardrobe.

He started walking back in her direction and Sophia was about to give up and burst out of the wardrobe, complete with jazz hands, shouting ‘Surprise!’ when instead he bent over and picked up the towel she had discarded in her bid to escape. 

“That’s so Sophia, always leaving her stuff everywhere” he muttered, a tone of exaggerated but amused annoyance in his voice.

“How do you know that’s Sophia’s”? Priya asked.

“Oh just a hunch” he responded, and for a moment Sophia was sure he was looking straight at her through the keyhole. 

But he then left the room with Priya, and after what felt like two hours, but was probably only two minutes, Sophia slowly climbed out of the wardrobe and got dressed. A simple green bikini with a black mesh top over it. She wasn’t sure what the night had in store, but a swim in the heated pool to clear her head seemed like a perfect idea.

As she made her way back outside she saw Bobby walking in her direction and her stomach tightened. She was already sure she’d say no to Noah. It was too much, too soon after the mess with Gary and Bobby. She wasn’t prepared for any more heartbreak with the boy with the kindest soul who was quickly closing the gap between them.

“Hi Sophia, you look...great. I wondered if we could talk. I mean, I know we’ve talked. But if we could just talk some more”

Sophia’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at him and realised he was so nervous he couldn’t look her in the eyes. Instead his eyes were fixed to one side, his mouth pursed in uncertainty. 

How could she ever say no?

But that decision was taken from her by a scream from Chelsea’s phone, and the announcement it was challenge time. 

Chelsea read the message, clearly beside herself with excitement “Grab your popcorn Ghouls, because it's time to drag some dirty old skeletons out of the closet”

Sophia smiled at Bobby “Later?”

He nodded, but with no smile “Well...shall we head over there?” he pointed to the landrovers which were clearly waiting to take them to the challenge platform again. 

Sophia nodded, and the pair walked over to the vehicles in an awkward silence. It was hurting her more than she cared to admit that she might have lost her friendship with Bobby. She was coming to realise that it was the most important thing to her at that moment. 

The cars sped to the raised stage again, and as the islanders made their way out of the cars and up the stairs to the stage, the dawning realisation of what was about to happen hit. 

Two giant closets were laid flat on the stage, a slide placed by each one. Inside each closet was a bubbling vat of mud. 

Chelsea skipped over to the score board, Jakub hurrying along behind her, moving as quickly as his awkward gait would allow.

“Oh my god guys” she shouted, as she read the instruction card “inside the mud are some dirty skeletons. You need to find their bones and then wash them off in the tubs of water and then reveal the secrets. Only one person is allowed in the mud at one time. The team with the most skeletons revealed at the end wins”.

Sophia looked at the bubbling mud, wondering if there was any chance the skeletons were just the type you find in a Halloween shop. It seemed unlikely. 

“Ok everyone” Jakub continued, frowning slightly that the drama of revealing the task hadn’t been his “can the first boy and girl get ready to slide into the mud and I’ll tell you when to start”.

The girls all looked at each other in horror, no one wanting to be the first to face the mud. Sophia looked over to the boys, and saw Bobby was already climbing the slide. “I’ll go first” she said “but if I shout my safe word one of you needs to come and pull me out of there”

Marisol smirked “What is your safe word, Babe? Might be something useful to know for the future anyway…”

Sophia’s mind emptied under Marisol’s intense stare. “Uh it’s, uh. Bunnies”.

Marisol raised an eyebrow “Bunnies? Sexy”.

Sophia made her way to the slide and climbed up. She looked over to Bobby, who was beaming with happiness. Of course sliding into a smelly, slimy container of mud was his idea of fun.

“Ok” Jakub shouted “Get in!”

Sophia closed her eyes and pushed herself forward. She knew if she looked at where she was going she’d be trying to climb back up the slide. She heard Bobby land in the mud with a shout and then felt herself submerged. She tried to stand up but the floor was too slippery, and so she quickly started to wave her arms around under the mud, until she felt something solid. She clamped her hand around it and pulled it out of the mud. As she looked at what was in her hand, she tried to reassure herself that although it looked like a legitimate humerus, it was almost definitely plastic. 

She slid along the bottom of the closet and called out “I’ve got one but I’m going to need a hand getting out of here, girls. Its all kinds of slippy”

It was Lottie who stepped forward first, and Sophia felt a wave of relief as her arms reached towards her. Sophia grabbed them and used them as leverage to heave herself out of the mud.

This challenge was so not sexy. Bring back the slime. 

The mud made a loud suction noise as she was dragged out of it, and she could hear Gary shouting “Oi oi Sophie. Bit gassy?”

She chose to ignore him and instead tried to find her feet and started running over to the large wooden tub of water she needed to wash this bone. Her feet had no traction and she slid her way over the stage, stumbling, and feeling like she was ice skating for the first time, all sense of balance and control lost. 

She wondered what deep dark secret she held in her hands, and who it was about. A quick dunk in that water and she’d know. But just as she reached it her feet finally lost any control and she fell over, head first into the side of the tub of water. 

And everything went black.

The next thing she was aware of was a sea of voices that seemed to be speaking far too loud. 

“Sophia”

“Are you ok?”

“Can you hear us?”

“Shit, she’s hit her head”

“There’s...blood”

“Blood”

And then a voice so loud it couldn’t be real “Noah and Marisol. Get off the stage now and make your way back to the mansion. Now”

“I...I’ll go back with you guys. Come on. Now”

“I’m not going to do anything”

“I know, but still”

“She’s hurt, I can help”

“No, I can”

“I care about her”

“No you don’t. Just go. Everyone”

“Actually, can all of you go. The first aider is here”

“Go. All of you”

A sigh. A growl.

Then a light. And then nothing again.

….

Sophia woke to find herself in a room she didn’t recognise, in a beautiful four poster bed that definitely wasn’t her usual resting spot. She tried to sit up and then felt a searing pain in her head.

“Just lie back Sophia” it was Gary. 

“You’re safe Sophia” and there was Bobby. 

She slowly looked to either side to see Gary and Bobby guarding her, their faces almost identical pictures of worry. 

And then the door opened. “I heard her voice. Is she ok?”

And now Noah had joined the party, Hope closely following behind him. 

“The paramedic said to give her some peace. She’s got a concussion. I don’t think she needs anyone else in here. It’s already a bit crowded” Gary responded, an underlying scratchy growl to his voice as he spoke. 

Hope pushed past Noah “For once I agree with you, dog boy, but there’s something I think we need to sort out first”

Noah looked at her in horror “Now is clearly not the time”.

Hope put a hand on her hip “Well you wouldn’t explain yourself when it was just us, so maybe you will now. What did you mean earlier when you said you cared for her? Apparently so much that you weren’t even phased by the delicious blood pouring out of her head” 

Noah groaned and rubbed his temple “Hope, don’t turn this into something it isn’t. I was just worried about her. And me controlling my blood lust isn’t new. Do you know how many humans with paper cuts I have to deal with every day in the library?”

Hope snorted “Stop avoiding this conversation”.

“Yeah Noah, just stop” now Priya was standing by the door. It really was getting crowded and Sophia squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that sleep would take her away from the new madness.

But it didn’t.

“Noah. Tell Hope what you said earlier” Priya continued.

“Priya you’re not helping. This isn’t the right time. For anyone” Noah spoke, his voice sounding like it was taking every ounce of strength to stay controlled and calm. 

“There won’t be a right time. Tell her that you think Sophia’s turned your head. That you feel something” this was followed by the click of Priya’s heels disappearing down the hall. 

Hope sounded very unlike herself when she next spoke, her voice quiet, uncertain, almost soft “Noah?”

Noah sighed “Things haven’t been perfect between us, have they? And I do care about her...it’s just...oh, I don’t know”. 

Hope’s voice had a far cooler tone to it when she next spoke “Is it her? That weak human lying in that bed? Has she done this?”

“No!” Noah responded “I haven’t even spoken to her about this. We’ve barely spoken...I...”

Sophia’s head was still pounding and she just wanted peace and quiet. Without opening her eyes she spoke with the last bit of energy she had “Here’s an idea. How about we give everyone some space. Like. Now. Even Noah. Let him think. We all just need to….” 

But she wasn’t awake for the end of the sentence. 

Her sleep was peaceful. There were no dreams. Just a sense of floating along in peaceful oblivion. Until a scream rudely dragged her away from it. 

The scream was followed by Chelsea’s excited voice “I got a text everyone! Oh. Em. Gee! Islanders, tomorrow there will be a recoupling. The boys will be choosing!”.

Sophia felt a tension crackle in the air around her and realised that she was still being guarded by a Were and a Shifter. They didn’t speak, but they didn’t need to.

Suddenly, the pain in her head seemed like the least of her worries.


	16. The Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Sophia can even recover from the chaos of the mud challenge, it's time for the Disaster Recoupling. One islander makes his intentions known...but will things ever be that simple for Sophia?

Sophia’s eyes fluttered open and for a moment she wondered where she was. Then she saw the beautiful sheer white fabric draped over the top of the four poster bed and remembered. Her head wasn’t hurting apart from a very faint ache and she breathed a sigh of relief. Leaving the island due to a minor head injury that had happened because of her own clumsiness in the face of a mud bath would be incredibly ironic in light of who her housemates were.

She started to sit up slightly and suddenly realised that she was alone. Her guardians had apparently decided it was safe to leave her side, which was a relief. Then the memory of Chelsea’s text came flooding back. A boy’s choice recoupling. Her head started hurting again, but this time the pain was a pounding in the back of her head. 

She wondered how this would play out. At this moment she wasn’t even sure who she wanted to pick her. Maybe Jakub. It was a strange world when coupling with a Frankenstein’s Monster seemed like a life of peace and tranquility.

She swung her legs out of the bed and looked around a bit more. A large golden mirror was hanging on the wall in front of the bed and she walked over to it, her hand drawn to stroking the ornate golden frame which had images of cherubs etched into it.

“Like m’ frame, do you?”

Sophia snatched her hand back in horror. In the glass of the mirror, the reflection of her tired looking face and bandaged head was merging with the image of a man with blonde hair, glasses and stubble. But it definitely wasn’t Gary.

He had a cheeky smile, and Sophia recovered from her shock quickly, instead intrigued by who this face in the mirror was. “Uh...hi? I’m Sophia. Are you a new islander?”

The mirror man laughed “No lass, I’m Iain. The narrator for the TV show. They keep me trapped in mirrors during filming so I can see what’s going on while it happens. Honestly...I’m not sure why they don’t just let me watch the filmed content. I’ve never actually thought about it until now...”

Sophia found herself reaching out and touching the glass. It just felt like a mirror. She then touched her head. Did she have a concussion? Was she hallucinating?

Iain continued “Anyway, you don’t need to introduce yourself to me. I know who you are! Quite the supernatural rollercoaster you’re on at the moment, eh?”

Sophia laughed “Yeah, if I could just have the supernatural teacup ride for a couple of days instead, that would be amazing”. 

Iain chuckled, he blue eyes twinkling “Nae chance of that, lass” he shook his head “three of those boys have a wee bit of a crush. Quite the power you have over them. I ended up having to promise them that I’d call them when you woke up, just to get them to leave the room. The wolf’s snoring was keeping me awake so I had to do something!”

“I...three?” Sophia stuttered, before realising that Noah must have been there as well. Hope and Lottie really were going to hate her. 

“Anyways” Iain continued “I’m glad t’see you look better. Best you get yourself outside and get grafting. The show’s audience aren’t going to amuse themselves. Trust me. I’ve been here trying to write self-deprecating jokes for the past couple of weeks. Have to keep them entertained”. 

And with that he disappeared and Sophia found herself staring at only her reflection again.

She knew the mirror was right. She needed to go and see everyone. Hiding in here wasn’t going to make the awkwardness go away. 

She showered and got dressed, remembering how hopeful for peace she’d been when she was doing the same routine yesterday. With a recoupling on the horizon, it didn’t seem like peace was on the cards in the near future. She didn’t need to be a fortune teller to see that. 

It was already dark when she walked outside, and the garden was lit with a thousand fairy lights. It looked beautiful, but a tension crackled in the air and Sophia looked around at the little huddles of islanders all talking in hushed tones. 

Noah, Lucas, Rahim and Gary were stood with their backs to her, deep in conversation. She wanted to speak to Noah to try and understand what had happened between him and Hope in the bedroom. It all seemed foggy in her head, but she was fairly sure there was some tension, and she was at the centre of it. She heard Gary whisper “So that’s the plan? You guys are cool about it? No nasty surprises this time? Rahim? Noah? Looking at you guys”

Noah sighed “Yeah, I’m cool with it. It’s for the...oh” and he turned around to look at Sophia, clearly alerted to her presence. “Sophia, I’m so happy to see you look so much better! Welcome back to the land of the living”

Gary snorted “Ha! Good one Noah. But yeah, it’s really great to see you. You gave us quite the scare there. No more rolling in mud for you!”

Sophia smiled and raised an eyebrow “Spoilsport. So what are you guys all talking about? The recoupling?”

The boys shifted uncomfortably. Noah looked into the far distance “Oh, I’m sorry, someone just called my name. See you later!” and was gone before she could stop him. 

Gary looked pointedly at Lucas and Rahim. “Didn’t you two have somewhere to be?”.

Rahim started to respond “No mate, I thought we were talking about the recoup...oh!” he shook his head “Yeah, we need to go and find...uh Priya...for something”.

Lucas shook his head slightly “Smooth Rahim. Smooth” and then turned to Sophia “Can you keep the wolf company? We have somewhere important to be”.

Sophia nodded, her face a picture of bemusement while she watched them walk away in opposite directions, before Rah im realised, and turned to follow Lucas. Both now walking in the opposite direction to the pool, where Priya was sunbathing.

Gary waved his hand at a nearby chair “Well, while we’re here, fancy a chat?”. Sophia nodded and sat down, but found herself feeling tense and perched on the edge of her seat, for reasons she didn’t quite understand.

Gary mirrored her posture, sitting on the edge of a chair, but leaning forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. 

“So. Sophia. This recoupling. I wondered if. Um. I wondered”.

The Gary in front of her was unrecognisable from the confident boy she’d met when she first entered the mansion. She smiled, reassuringly, wondering what was about to tumble out of his mouth.

“I wondered how you’d feel if I chose you at the next recoupling? I’ll speak to Lottie. Speak to Bobby. Do the right thing. But my god Sophia, if I don’t get to spend the rest of my time on this island with you then I honestly don’t know what I’m doing here anymore”. 

The words came out in a rush, and after he’d finished speaking he sat back in the chair, his face relaxed again. “Phew. I’ve been rehearsing that for hours”.

Sophia looked at him, blinking but not speaking. Her brain working through what he’d just said.

“Gary I...just...I...what?”.

He leaned forward again, and took one of her hands. It wasn’t a fair move. The feel of him made her blood turn to fire in her veins, and no sensible response was going to leave her lips while they were touching. “Sophia, I mean it. I’m sorry for what happened. I messed up. But I know what I want. I won’t let my wolf pride get in the way again. Give me another chance?”

Sophia slowly removed her hand from his, wanting to have any tiny semblance of control over her emotions. 

“Life in here is a bit confusing if I’m honest Gary. I don’t think I know what I want. Who I want. I’m not sure I even know what I am. I’m supposed to be taking some time to work that all out, you know? So...in answer to your question, I don’t know how I’d feel. Excited? Happy? Confused?Just...lost about who I am?”

And then she was crying. Gary stood up and quickly closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her. 

He bent over her, his lips lightly grazing the top of her head as he murmured “Oh god, I’m sorry. Really.”

Sophia found herself laughing at the same time as crying and Gary pulled back and crouched down in front of her. “So this place is a bit of a head fuck, huh?” he asked, a smile appearing in the corner of his mouth.

Sophia laughed again “That may be the understatement of the century. I don’t know why I’m crying. Or laughing. This whole place is just...madness. I was talking to the man in the mirror earlier and…”

And then she was laughing again, realising the words she’d just spoken were absolute madness. How was there a cute Scottish guy trapped in a mirror? How was she living on an island, in some kind of crazy spider web of attraction that meant she was bouncing between three supernatural guys. 

“Oh yeah, he’s alright actually” Gary responded “had some good bants with him earlier when he was trying to get me to leave your side. Said I was snoring. As if”. 

Sophia just raised a knowing eyebrow at him “Yeah Gary, as if”. 

“Ok” Gary stood up and extended his hand to her “How about we don't talk about recouplings, or anything even slightly weird. How about I just go and get you something to eat. You must be starving”.

Sophia nodded gratefully, as her rumbling stomach reminded her that it was definitely time for food. Gary bounded over to the kitchen area, clearly happy to have something positive to do. 

As Gary left, Marisol and Bobby walked over to where she was sitting. Sophia’s stomach flipped for a second, dreading seeing any hurt in Bobby’s face, but there was none to be found. Instead he was his usual smiling self, his eyes filled with warmth as he greeted her “So glad to see you’re ok, Sophia. I never thought I’d see the day when I disapproved of any activity involving people plunging themselves into gross substances, but here I am. That wasn’t safe, and the producers know it. You should have seen their panic”.

“Absolutely” Marisol agreed “and then the cheek of ordering Noah and I off the stage like we are some kind of animal”. 

Marisol looked seriously aggrieved and Sophia had a moment of wondering why Lucas hadn’t been part of the order. But instead of unpicking that thread, she smiled at them both “As comfortable as that giant bed was, I’m happy to be up. Although there’s a seriously weird vibe out here today”.

Bobby and Marisol nodded in unison “It’s the recoupling. It’s got everyone spooked” Bobby responded, and for a split second the happy face was gone, replaced by worry. But as he continued the smile was back “Still, one of the crew members told me that we’re getting a fun challenge tonight. Something to make up for what happened yesterday”.

Sophia groaned, unsure whether she had the energy for another challenge, fun or not. Gary returned with a sandwich. The bread was a bit mangled, as if he’d applied the butter with a fork instead of a knife, but Sophia took it gratefully, and the four of them sat chatting about life outside of the island for a while. It felt relaxed. Normal. Exactly what Sophia needed in that moment.

Eventually, she excused herself from the group and took her plate over to the kitchen, surprised when a confused looking Noah suddenly appeared from behind the kitchen counter, muttering to himself.

“Feel like such a fool…”

“Uh, hi Noah, everything alright?” Sophia asked.

Noah looked at her in surprise “Oh hi. Yes, everything’s fine. Just making a coffee. I mean. I can’t drink the coffee but I still like the smell. It smells like home”.

Sophia nodded, not really understanding what it must be like to suddenly have all of your favourite tastes taken away. 

Before she could ask him about why he felt like a fool, Hope appeared beside them. She’d lost any semblance of her cold, cool exterior. Now she just looked like a woman possessed. 

“What are you two doing? Noah? You promised”. Her voice had a slightly panicked tone and Sophia was surprised at just how on edge she seemed. She was always so confident, but that seemed to be lost in a sea of worrying about what was happening with Noah.

Noah put his hands up in front of him “Nothing Hope. We’re doing nothing. We’re standing in the same vicinity. Nothing more.”

“First you wait for her to wake up, then I see you sneaking off to speak to her at the very first opportunity. You need to decide what you’re doing Vampire. You’re playing a dangerous game, and we all know who, out of the three of us, is going to get hurt”.

Sophia looked to the ground. Hope’s face was furious and she just didn’t have the energy for this fight. For the first time since stepping on the island she was relieved to hear the scream of a text arriving on Hope’s phone, and wondered if it was strategically timed by the producers. It would be nice to feel like they had her back for once. 

Hope took a moment to point at Noah “This isn’t over. I am too good for this. And you know it” before reaching for her phone and shouting “I’ve got a text”. The rage inside her meant that the shout came out with such a force that the whole island seemed to shake. Everyone clearly sensed that it wasn’t time to mess with Hope, and the group assembled around her quickly, waiting to find out what the text said.

“Islanders” she began, regaining composure in her voice “it’s time for another challenge. And this time it’s something a bit...gentler. Get ready to get your partner’s glam on. Make your way to the dining room”.

Sophia cringed a little at the word ‘gentle’ knowing it was aimed at her, but also felt relief. It was all she could cope with at the moment. She also wondered where the hell the dining room was, and why they never used it, but was distracted from that question by a gentle nudge on her arm. She looked to see Bobby smiling at her “Hey” he said softly and she responded with an equally soft ‘hey’.

“I know things have been difficult, but let’s just have some fun with this” he said, his happy grin back in place on his face.

“Totally” she responded “I think we both need a bit of fun, huh?”

He put his hand out “I found the dining room a few days ago when I was exploring this place. Follow me”.

Sophia happily took his hand and he led the way for the whole group to a formidable room which was down a long corridor to the right of the main entrance. There was no dining table, instead there were little tables laid out along one wall, each with a stool placed to the left. At first glance the tables seemed to have all kinds of make-up laid out on them. 

A squeal came from Chelsea as she ran over to a table “So much glitter!”. She picked up the envelope from the table in the centre of the room. “Islander, enough of the gloom on this island. It’s time for you to bring a bit of sparkle into each other’s lives. Boys sit on the stools and girls, get ready to make them beautiful with the supplies on the table in front of you. Oh, and girls...please put on the blindfolds. Chelsea and Jakub will judge the winner. Now go. Create. And...don’t fuck it up”.

Sophia looked around the room. Noah and Gary both looked genuinely terrified at being made over by the girls who were standing glowering beside them. Bobby was grinning, clearly happy with this challenge. He still had her hand, and quickly led her over to a table saying “Let’s do this!”in an over-excited way. Sophia wondered if he was still masking something, but pushed it to the back of her mind. It was just nice to see him smiling.

He picked up a purple satin blindfold and very carefully placed it over her head and eyes, making sure he didn’t touch the place where she bumped her head yesterday. She couldn’t feel any pain there now anyway, but was touched by how thoughtful and gentle he was being.

“Ok” he said, taking both of her hands in his “We’ve got this. I’ll guide you with my voice about what’s on the table and then you can just go for it - do whatever you want with me. I’m all yours”.

Sophia felt a pang at those words, but just smiled and nodded. She reached over to the table and Bobby guided her to the first piece of make-up which was an eyeshadow palette. He quietly guided her through the colours in front of her and she had quickly decided that Bobby was going to be a purple and green goddess. She could hear tense voices around the room, but with Bobby all was calm and piece by piece she started applying the make-up. 

Her fingers moved around Bobby’s face each time as she tried to make sure she was applying it to roughly the right facial feature, and she admired again how beautiful he was. Her thumb ran over his cheekbone and she felt him shiver a little, and quickly withdrew it. 

After what felt like only a couple of minutes Jakub’s voice called out “Sixty seconds left girls and bros”.

“Ok, are there any lipsticks?” Sophia asked and Bobby responded “Uh, yeah. Move your hand right and then up slightly”.

Sophia followed the instruction and felt the familiar shape of a lipstick case. There wasn’t time to worry about colour and so she reached out with one hand, feeling for his lips. She found them quickly and as her fingers lightly grazed them she felt a pang of wanting him. 

“Quickly” Bobby murmured through her fingers, and she snapped herself out of the moment, applying the lipstick right before Chelsea called out that they were out of time. 

She reached up and slowly removed her blindfold to look at her masterpiece. 

And burst out laughing.

Bobby’s eyes had heavy streaks of green and purple across his eyelids, and almost every part of his face had glitter covering it. The false eyelashes she’d applied had gone on at an angle and the lipstick completely missed his actual lip line. 

Bobby took a look in the mirror that was resting on the table and joined her laughter. “My god Sophia, this is quite the look. Kinda fancy myself though, can’t lie”. 

Everyone turned and started looking at each other’s creations. Priya was holding up a piece of paper with a drawing of Rahim’s face and he shrugged slightly “We couldn’t...my skin”.

Lucas looked stunning. Marisol had somehow managed to apply the world’s most perfect winged eyeliner, and his lips were sparking and red. 

Gary’s make-up was expertly applied, and Lottie had chosen a pink sparkly colour palette that Chelsea would be proud of. He looked like he was trying to own the moment, and fluttered his eyelashes at Sophia. Unfortunately Lottie saw the small movement and scowled slightly at them both.

Then there was Noah. If Sophia squinted really hard she could maybe see a hint of lipstick on his lips, but nothing else “What happened?” Chelsea asked, clearly disappointed. I get why Rahim couldn’t but...why didn’t you want to take part Noah?”

All eyes turned to Noah and he looked deeply uncomfortable. “Hope wasn’t feeling in the uh..mood..to...uh...take part”.

Hope stood by him, her arms crossed, not saying a word but staring everyone straight in the eye, seemingly daring them to challenge her. 

“Oh, ok” Chelsea responded, clearly sensing the mood and turned to whisper in Jakub’s ear. He nodded and stood forward.

“The winner of the makeover is……”

Sophia stood waiting for either Lottie and Gary or Marisol and Lucas to be called.

“....Hope!”

The gasps around the room were about as dramatic as any moment on the island so far. Maybe even more than after what happened to Hannah.

Poor Hannah.

Sophia couldn’t help the “What!” that escaped and Chelsea looked at Jakub, puzzled as she loudly whispered “We agreed Marisol and Lucas…”.

“Nah, Hope’s totally the winner. Just look at her” Jakub responded, grinning in her direction. At least, Sophia thought he was probably trying for a grin.

“”Well...uh...well done guys” Bobby called over to them, followed by a few other mumbled congratulations. 

Jakub read from a card in his hand “Oh. Your prize is a romantic picnic by the pool. You can take me instead if you like, Hope”.

Hope smiled her most dazzling smile “Thanks babe, but I think Noah and I need to use this as time to sort some things out”. 

Noah’s phone screamed and he read the message “Noah and Hope. Please make your way to the picnic. But...be quick. There’s only one hour until the boy’s choice re-coupling at the Hell Pit #norestforthewicked”

Hope took Noah’s hand and led him out of the dining room without another word. The remaining islanders shuffled around slightly “Well that was...something” Rahim exclaimed, breaking the tension.  
Chelsea skipped over to Sophia “Come on Babe, it’s time to get ready for the big event. I think I might have something that will help with that cut on your head”.

Sophia looked at her sparkling Bobby who smiled and waved his hand “It’s fine, you go. I’m sure I can get this all off in an hour. No loss if I can’t. I’m kind of loving my new look”.

Sophia followed Chelsea up to the dressing room, the other girls also following, keen to get ready. Chelsea quickly sat Sophia down on a stool and rummaged through her make-up bag. Sophia wondered what was about to appear. Fairy dust? But instead Chelsea produced a small tube of cream and gently applied it to the cut. She stood back and admired her work “There. Good as new”. 

Sophia looked in the mirror and gasped. There was no sign of an injury. “What...was that?”

Chelsea shrugged “Oh just a remedy my mum taught me how to make. It doesn’t work on everyone, but I had a feeling it would work on you” she span on her heels “but...enough of this...time to get ready, we don’t want the boys out-glamming us!”.

The girls all chatted happily as they got ready. Sophia was surprised to find that there didn’t seem to be an animosity from Lottie. She seemed calmer and happier than she had for a long time.

The chatter was a welcome distraction from wondering about what was about to happen next. Sophia had no idea what direction things were going to take within the next hour. She couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that wanted to get back to Gary and spend more time with him. The pull towards him was so strong. 

More time with Bobby seemed like it would only bring more heartache for both of them. But at the same time, the thought of not being around him caused physical pain in her chest.

And then there was Noah. Confusing, mysterious, kind Noah. Who seemed to have got himself trapped in a web of his own making. That was something she could relate to. 

It was time to walk to the Hell Pit before she knew it, and she was grateful for the comfort of Chelsea linking arms with her while they walked. Sophia had chosen a green playsuit with a plunging neckline, an outfit she felt beautiful and comfortable in, but it wasn’t helping the somersaults in her stomach.

Soon, everyone was gathered around the pit. Hope and Noah were even there, and Hope had somehow changed into a stunning red dress without even being in the dressing room. 

Sophia forced her eyes to look away from the burning pit, and into the faces of the boys in front of her. Gary caught her eye and smiled, but Noah and Bobby seemed to be doing everything possible to avoid looking at her. Noah was suddenly inspecting an invisible spot on his sleeve, and Bobby was staring at the ground about two feet in front of her.

The group stood in silence, the tension of the unknowns hanging in the air. 

Jakub’s phone was the first to scream, and he stood up, clearly happy to be choosing first.

“Well, I’m glad I’m first because it means I get to choose the fittest girl in here. There’s a spark between us and I think I owe it to her to have some alone time with me, get all my parts animated, if you get me. So the girl I want to couple up with is Hope”.

All eyes turned to Hope who was smiling serenely. She walked over to Jakub and lightly kissed him on his cheek, placing a hand on his shoulder “Thanks Babe”. 

As they sat back down the other islanders started looking around at each other. Marisol leaned over and whispered “Well this is about to get interesting”. Sophia nodded, her head trying to work out the couples that could happen next. Noah was single. Shit. 

Noah. 

His phone is the next to scream, and you hear a deep growly “Oh Fuck” from Gary’s direction as some kind of realisation seems to hit.

Noah stood up, running his hand through his hair “Well I uh…” and then he seemed to pause for a moment and shake his head slightly. The Noah that spoke next seemed more confident and calm “Well, this is a different situation to be in, but I know exactly what I want to do…”

“Noah...” Gary growls from the end of the row of boys.

But Noah ignores the sound and continues “I’m excited to embrace the opportunity to get to know someone new. This girl is funny, kind and beautiful. I’ve tried to avoid her because of my own hang-ups, but now seems like a good opportunity to get over myself. So the girl I’d like to couple up with is…”

“...please?” Gary’s voice isn’t a growl anymore. It’s softer. But it still has no impact.

Noah’s eyes lock on Sophia “...Sophia”.

Sophia’s head span for a moment as the reality hit. Noah had just said her name. She looked to Bobby, who was still steadfastly staring at the spot on the ground, tapping his foot slightly. Then to Gary, who was making no attempt to hide his feelings. He didn’t look angry. He looked...sad...disappointed. Her heart hurt in that moment, but as she looked to Noah she saw that he was holding his hand out, a nervous look on his face.

“Sophia?” he asked. How could such a complicated question be wrapped up in just her name?

She walked over to him and took his hand and they quietly sat down. Sophia looked at the faces of the girls who were all clearly in a state of shock, and then to Hope, who was still smiling serenely.

The chaotic recouplings continued. Lucas picked Priya, which caused a ripple of shock through the group, and Rahim looked crestfallen, before picking Lottie, who in turn looked absolutely bemused.

Gary stood up and looked pointedly at Noah “Well the girl I was going to pick tonight has been taken. Despite promises that were made…”

Sophia wondered what the promises were, but sensed she probably would never find out. She was focusing so hard on Gary’s face that she stopped listening to his words, and was surprised to see Chelsea bounding over to him, excitedly throwing her arms around his neck.

Bobby then stood, and Sophia wanted to hug him as he started speaking, confusion and sadness mixed in with an attempt to be upbeat. But, by the time he’d said Marisol’s name he seemed genuinely happy to be spending some time with her, and Sophia suddenly had a feeling that Marisol might be the luckiest girl in the villa at that moment.

Noah’s hand was cool, but his grip was reassuring, and she looked at him and smiled, which he returned. 

The couples all sat in silence for a moment before Priya started laughing, followed by Lottie, Sophia, and then the whole group, apart from Jakub who looked around in confusion. 

But the laughter quickly stopped when Rahim looked at Jakub and said “So what was that about, mate? I didn’t see that coming”.

Gary looked at Noah “I could ask the same question. Although I did see it coming and thought that a promise was in place”.

Jakub looked around the group “I like Hope. I wanted to pick Hope. Simple as”.

Noah started to speak “Gary I…”

But Gary shook his head “You know what mate, I don’t want to hear it. We’re half way through this whole thing. Plenty of time for things to change anyway”.

Noah just nodded. 

Lottie turned to Hope “I don’t think we’re asking the most important person in all of this how they feel. Hope? Are you ok? I mean, you and Noah…”

Hope waved a hand in the air “I’m fine, this is good. I’m not sure what came over me to be honest. Coupling up with someone like Noah isn’t my normal….style”. 

Noah started to speak again “Hope, can we talk?”

“Nothing to talk about Babe. We’re done. It’s all good. You go have your teen fic fantasy with that one” she extended a perfect red nail in Sophia’s direction. 

Sophia knew that the teen fic reference was designed to hurt, and it worked, with Noah flinching. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, and applied her sweetest smile for Hope’s benefit “So great that you’re so cool with this. Babe.”

She let the last word hang in the air. 

Noah leaned down and quietly whispered “Shall we go somewhere to talk?”

Sophia nodded and quietly led him to the night beds, the other couples all dispersing into different parts of the grounds. As they sat down Noah looked at her, concern etched across his face “Is it ok that I chose you? I wasn’t sure because of everything that has happened. But I was sure that you were the only person I could pick. I hope that’s ok”.

Sophia smiled, her heart melting slightly at this incredibly handsome vampire who seemed so lacking in confidence “Noah, it’s all good. I’ve spent about ninety nine per cent of my time on this island being confused and so this is really no different. I know things have been difficult for you and Hope, and I definitely come with baggage, so let’s just relax and see where this goes. Although ...I do have one question...since the start people have been warning me about how dangerous Hope is. She seems happy right now, but do I need to keep one eye open at night?”

Noah shook his head seriously “No. A lot of it is show with her. She won’t actually hurt you. You’re not her type anyway”.

And then the question that had been on her mind since day one appeared again “Noah...what is Hope?”

Noah shook his head “I’m really sorry but can we not talk about her anymore? I feel drained from the time with her. Like I’ve lost part of myself. Can we focus on us for a bit?”

Sophia inwardly rolled her eyes in exasperation but just nodded “of course”. 

“Sophia?”

Sophia looked up to find his face close her hers, his eyes searching her face before looking into her own. She managed a “yes” but it sounded feeble and croaky.

“I’d really like to kiss you now”

Sophia looked into his brown eyes and knew that she was lost to that moment, no amount of goodwill was going to stop her following what she wanted right now. 

Without speaking she leaned forward slightly and kissed him. His lips were as cool and soft as before, but there was something else there this time. A sense of urgency. A heat behind the coolness. 

He placed a finger just under her chin, tilting her head up slightly more, and the kiss deepened. As their tongues met she found herself adjusting her position. Moving her legs around and up until she was kneeling on the bed, her whole body facing him. 

As Noah’s hands moved to her back, pressing her closer she placed her own hands on his shoulders, pushing him downwards until he was laying flat on the night bed. 

The urgency of the kiss hadn’t lessened and Sophia found herself consumed with a desire to be as close to him as possible, to forget everything apart from the feel of him. She straddled him, her hips moving against him with a mind and movement all of their own. Noah moved his kisses to her jaw line and then down her throat, running his tongue along her neck before kissing it, sucking at the skin gently. The feeling caused fire to run through her. Any sense of him being cold to touch lost. The moment was pure heat. 

He moved his kisses back up to her ear and murmured “Sophia. You do things to me”.

His hands were on her back and then shoulders, his grip soft but somehow demanding. She might be the person on top, but she was absolutely his in that moment.

Their mouths met again and as Sophia rolled her hips against him again he moaned, and she reached down to undo his jeans. 

Before she knew what was happening, Noah sat up, picking her up gently and placing her back down on the bed. She sat and looked at him, utterly bemused about what had just happened and why there was suddenly pace between them. 

“We need to take this slow. I need to be sure this is real, and not you just giving into me because I’m a vampire. I hope you can understand how much I want to” he tried to explain, his hands extended in an open gesture of pleading for her to not be upset.

Sophia nodded. If she was honest with herself she was relieved. She was sure the heat she was feeling was all her, not due to any kind of vampire charms. But she was confused enough as it was. And there was someone else she couldn’t get out of her head. 

Noah leaned forward and kissed her again, gently this time “Shall we spend some time talking? You’re still a bit of an enigma to me”.

Sophia laughed at the idea of her being the enigma of the pair, and they laid down, looking at the stars and talking about their lives. Noah’s family seemed very different to her own. Although none of his family were related by blood, the love and care he had for them was clear. It was a stark contrast to Sophia’s own family life, and the sense that she never really belonged. 

They talked until she fell asleep. She woke to see the morning was dawning and Noah was luckily nowhere to be found. She hadn’t really thought about the fact that they wouldn’t be able to share a bed. The reality of life with a vampire would take some getting used to. 

As she started to settle back down again she heard a noise behind the night beds, and looked up to see Gary sitting at the bar in the kitchen, his head in his hands.

She closed her eyes again for a minute, trying to will sleep to arrive, before realising that it was futile to attempt to sleep knowing that he was a few feet away. She swung her legs off the night bed and padded over to him with bare feet, the grass tickling as she walked. 

Gary turned when he heard her approaching and a spontaneous smile spread across his face “Wow, am I glad to see you”.

“Hey Gary. You’re up early. Or late”.

Gary nodded. “Yeah, sleep isn’t my friend today so I thought I might as well go for a run, but didn’t get any further than the kitchen” his smile dropped slightly, a small frown on his forehead as he looked at her “I was going to choose you earlier you know”.

Sophia smiled gently “I guessed. But fate had other plans, huh?”

“Vampire librarians had other plans” he muttered “but I just wanted you to know that. I don’t know if it changes anything but, uh, yeah. I don’t want to upset you again or anything, but is it ok if I just let you know how I feel. No strings attached. I just won’t forgive myself if I don’t”.

Sophia nodded, and sat down on a stool. She realised that she needed to hear this, whatever it was. 

Gary swallowed before continuing “Ok, so you know I was an idiot. That I was scared, or proud, or something else just as stupid, right?”

Sophia let a smile play on her lips as she agreed.

“But I think that I need to tell you that I am absolutely and completely into you, and only you. Lottie knows it, she threatened to put a hex on me at first, but then mellowed. I think this place is changing her. Chelsea knows it too. She seemed excited by the news to be honest”  
Sophia laughed, imagining the reaction Chelsea gave. 

The fog of confusion in her head started to clear. It felt light. Like the pieces of the world’s most complicated puzzle were falling from the sky and magically landing in the right place.

“I want to couple up with you when we can, Sophia. I want to spend every damn minute on this island with you. I want to have the privilege of getting to know you more. I’ve never felt like this before, and these aren’t words I’ve ever spoken. But I need to say them now. Just so that you know them”.

He climbed off the stool he was sat on and walked over to her. But he didn’t touch her, instead he crouched down in front of her, looking up. “I’m sorry for being such a dick at the beginning of this whole thing. I’ll always regret that. You deserve way more than I gave you and I hope I get the chance to be the man that you deserve. I know you’re confused about who you are at the moment and I’m here to help you with that. As a friend or something more. But please don’t feel like you’re alone. I’ve been there before and it was hell. I never want you to feel like that”.

With that he stood up “Anyway, I’m not looking for an answer. No confirmation or rejection. I won’t come on heavy again. But just know I’m here”.

He looked towards the forest “I’m feeling like having that run now. Don’t sleep out here alone. Chelsea’s up there. She’d be the happiest fairy ever if she had some bedroom chat with you I’m sure”.

Sophia smiled, a tingling feeling flowing through her which was unlike anything she’d felt before. 

“Yeah, I’ll go and see Chelsea. Thanks Gary. Enjoy your run and I’ll see you later”.

As Gary bobbed his head and then took off in the direction of the woods, Sophia turned and made her way indoors, and up to the bedroom. She didn’t even have the energy to change, and climbed into bed with Chelsea, who turned to look at her. “So?” she said, a note of excitement in her voice “Is anything becoming clearer?”

Sophia smiled and whispered “It is. Tomorrow is going to be a good day”. She rested her head on the pillow and was asleep almost before she’d finished speaking, her dreams full of being wrapped in the arms of the man she knew was the one for her.

Behind the scenes the production team rubbed their hands together in glee, knowing what was about to happen next and that things would never be simple for Sophia. 

And somewhere else a dark force stirred, willing itself into the island. It had a score to settle, and it was almost time. 

A manicured finger dialled the number for the Love Island production company and put forward a suggestion that would be impossible for them to resist...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for Casa de la Muerte in the next chapter...and I'll finally stop teasing Hope's identity. 
> 
> Also...my god...I love all three of the boys who have fallen for Sophia...how to choose? Oof.


End file.
